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Ancient Fndian Fortifications, at Little River Falls, Cherokee County, Alabama, 
from a sketch by A. J. Pickett, who visited that place, in October, 1850. 



HISTORY 



£^o 



OF 



ALABAMA, 



AND INCIDENTALLY OF 



GEORGIA AND MISSISSIPPI, 



FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD 



BY 

ALBERT JAMES PICKETT, 



Of Montgomery. 



IN TWO VOLUMES. 
VOL. II. 



CHARLESTON: 

WALKER AND JAMES, 

18 5 1. 



v\V> 






Entered according to the act of Congress, by Albert James Pickett, on the 
27th January, 1851, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for 

the Middle District of Alabama. 

MATT. GAYLE, 
Clerk U. S. D. C. M. D. of Ma. 



•vnuNgFw 

DEC 10 'yoy 



CHARLESTON: , \ ' 
STEAM POWER-PRESS OF WALKER AND JAMES, 
No. 101 East-Bay. 



CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Page. 

The Occupation of Alabama and Mississippi by the English, 1 

CHAPTER XV. 

Hardships of the Early Emigrants, .... jg 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Journey of Bartram through Alabama, .... 24 

CHAPTER XVII. 

An account of the McGillivray Family — The,Revolutionary War, 30 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Extreme Perils and Sufferings of the Natchez Refugees, - 43 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The Spaniards in Alabama and Mississippi, - - - 53 

CHAPTER XX. 

Bloody Scenes in Alabama and Georgia, ,- 74 



yiii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Page. 

Battles of Emuckfau, Enitachopco and Calebee, - - 329 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Battle of the Horse-Shoe — Weatherford Surrenders himself at 

Fort Jackson, 341 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Treaty of Fort Jackson — Attack upon Mobile Point — March 

upon Pensacola, 355 

CHAPTER XL. 

The British take Mobile Point — Peace Declared — The Alabama 

Territory, 37 1 

CHAPTER XLI. 

Modern French Colony in Alabama, or the Vine and Olive Com- 
pany, 386 

CHAPTER XLII. 

Last Territorial Legislature — State Convention, - - 400 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

The First Legislature of the State of Alabama— Governor Bibb, 434 




HISTORY OF ALABAMA, 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE OCCUPATION OF ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 
BY THE ENGLISH. 

We mentioned, at the conclusion of the first volume of chapter 

this work, that France had surrendered all of her North XIV> 
American possessions. Before finally doing so, however, she 

made a secret treaty with Spain, her ally, in which she ceded to 1762 

November 3 

that power the territory on the western side of the Mississippi, 
extending from the mouth of that river to its remotest sour- 
ces, and including the Island of New-Orleans, which lay on 
the eastern side of the great river, and south of the Bayou 
Iberville or Manchac. 

Afterwards, a general peace between the three powers was 
concluded at Paris. France ceded to England all her Cana- 1763 

February 18 

dian possessions, and all that portion of Louisiana which lies 
on the eastern side of the Mississippi river, from its sources 
down to Bayou Iberville, which bayou, with a portion of the 

VOL. II. 1 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Amite, and a line through Lakes Matirepas and Pontchartrain, 



XIV. 



1763 

October 7 



1764 

February 



France also 
Spain ceded 



to the sea, was to form the southern boundary 
ceded to England the port and river of Mobile. 
to Great Britain her province of Florida. 

The King- of England decreed that Florida should be 
formed into two governments, called the provinces of East 
and West Florida ; that the northern line of West Florida 
should be the line of 31°, to run from the Chattahoochie to 
the Mississippi. But afterwards, understanding that this line 
did not embrace the valuable settlements at Natchez and above 
there, lie again decreed the boundaries of West Florida to be 
as follows : a line, to begin at the mouth of the Yazoo, where 
that stream joins the Mississippi, and to run east to the Chat- 
tahoochie ; thence down the Chattahoochie, to the mouth of 
the Apalachicola ; thence westward, along the coast of the 
Gulf, and through Lakes Borgne, Pontchartrain and Maurepas, 
up to the river Amite ; then along Bayou Iberville, to the 
Mississippi river, and up the middle of that river, to the 
mouth of the Yazoo. 

The territory 'within these lines, which was known for a 
period, dating from 1764 to 1781, as West Florida, embraced 
a large portion of the present States of Alabama and Missis- 
sippi. The northern line of the British province of West 
Florida, thus constituted, was that of 32° 28 A While a 
large portion of Alabama fell below this line, and was incorpo- 
rated into British West Florida, more than half of our State, 
in a northern direction from the line of 32° 28', was em- 
braced in the British province of Illinois. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



The province of Illinois was not only made to embrace chapter 
more than the half of our State, and more than half of Mis- XIV ' 
sissippi, but also the western portions of Tennessee, Ken- 
tucky, and the country from thence to Lake Michigan. The 
province of West Florida, which was made to embrace the 
southern portion of Alabama, extended from the line of 32° 
28 r , southward, to the Gulf of Mexico. We are thus parti- 
cular in elucidating the British division of our State, because, 
hereafter, the reader will be made acquainted with the con- 
tentions which arose with the Spaniards, Georgians, and the 1764 
Federal Government, in relation to it. 

To enable the reader still better to understand this matter, 
the line of 32° 28- / , which divided the Illinois portions of 
Alabama and Mississippi from the Florida portions of those 
States, was a line which commenced at the mouth of the 
Yazoo, and thence ran eastward, to the Tombigby, striking 
that river a little below the present town of Demopolis, con- 
tinuing east, touching the Alabama river a short distance 
below the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa, and termi- 
nating on the west bank of the Chattahooehie, between the 
present city of Columbus and old Fort Mitchell. During the 
British occupation of our State, its Illinois portion was unin- 
habited by Europeans, excepting a few traders, who lived 
among the Upper Creeks, Cherokees and Chickasaws. It is 
rather singular to reflect that, during this period, the site of 
Montgomery was in British West Florida, while the site of 
Wetumpka was in British Illinois. These sister cities are 
within fifteen miles of each other. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Between the Mississippi and the Wabash, a population of 
five thousand French and five hundred negroes existed. But 
when the French commandant at Fort Chartres — the capi- 
tal of the Illinois province, opposite St. Louis — surrender- 
ed the country, in the spring of 1765, to Captain Sterling, 
of the British army, who came by way of Detroit, at the 
command of his King, to take charge of it, then the French, 
generally, retired across the river, into Spanish territory. 

Captain George Johnstone, of the royal navy, was the first 
British governor of West Florida. He came to Pensacola, 
February the sea * °f government, and brought with him a British regi- 
ment, and many Highlanders, from Charleston and New- York. 
He issued his proclamation, defining the limits of his jurisdic- 
tion, and proclaiming the laws which he was instructed to 
enforce. The civil government was organized under military 
commandants and magistrates. The superior courts were 
formed under English judges. The governor immediately 
proceeded to garrison Fort Conde, at Mobile, which he now 
named Fort Charlotte, in honor of the young Queen of Great 
Britain. Soldiers were also thrown into the forts at Baton 
Rouge, and Panmure, at Natchez. A detachment went up to 
the Coosa, and occupied Fort Toulouse ; but it was, in a short 
time, withdrawn, when the w T orks, in a few years, went to 
ruins. 

When Governor Johnstone arrived in West Florida, there 
came with him a Major Loftus, who had been appointed to 
take charge of the Illinois country. Early in 1764, that 
officer sailed from Pensacola to New-Orleans, and from thence 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



to Manchac, where he joined his detachment, which had been chapter 

some time exploring that bayou. With four hundred men, 

he began the assent of the Mississippi, in boats and canoes. 

Reaching the heights of La Roche a Davion, where Fort 

Adams was afterwards built, he was suddenly attacked by 

armed Indians, from ambuscades, on both sides of the river. 

In this skirmish he lost several men, and had many wounded. 

He returned to Manchac, and despatched a captain, with 

twenty men, to Mobile, through the lakes, who arrived safe 

at that place. Major Loftus, with the residue of his command, ! ?64 15 

dropped down to the Balize, and from thence went to Pensa- 

cola. Thus was the occupation of the Illinois country, for a 

time, prevented, by the fierce and successful hostility of these 

Indians.* 

The French population, along the east side of the Missis- 
sippi, to the Walnut Hills, was considerable, and, when they 
ascertained that British laws had been extended over them, 
many retired across the river, south of Manchac. Others, 
assured that they would not be disturbed, either in the enjoy- 
ment of the Catholic faith, or in their rights and property, 
remained in the country. The English authorities encouraged 
emigration, and many availed themselves of their liberal of- 
fers. The first Anglo-American colony came from Roanoke, 
in the province of North-Carolina, and established them- 1764 to 1768 
selves between Manchac and Baton Rouge. They were fol- 

* French and Spanish MS.. Martin's History of Louisiana, Gayarre's 
Histoire de la Louisiane, Memoire Historique et Politique sur la Loui- 
siana par M. de Vergennes, Minister de Louis XVI. 



Q THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter lowed by others, from North and South-Carolina, who crossed 
XIV * the mountains to the Tennessee, there constructing flat-boats, de- 
scended that river, into the Ohio, and thence passed down the 
Mississippi. Others, from Georgia, even cut through the wilder- 
ness, to rind the Natchez country, which had become so favo- 
rably known. Emigrants from Virginia came down the Ohio. 
They all received, upon their arrival, liberal and extensive 
grants. After a while, emigrants came from Great Britain , 
Ireland and the British West Indies. During the three suc- 
ceeding years, many flocked from Georgia, the Carolinas and 
New-Jersey, and established themselves upon the soil drained 
by the Bayou Sara, the Homochitto and Bayou Pierre. All 
these settlements extended from the Mississippi, back, for 
fifteen or twenty miles. A few years afterwards, the Scotch 
Highlanders, from North-Carolina, arrived, and formed a 
colony upon the upper branches of the Homochitto, thirty 
miles eastward of Natchez, and their numbers were, at a late 
period, increased by others from Scotland. This region after- 
wards assumed the name of New Scotland. They still retain 
much of their national character, and not a few of the old ones 
1768 to 1773 speak the Gaelic. In 1*770, emigrants came from New- Jersey, 
Delaware and Virginia, by the way of the Ohio, and, three years 
afterwards, a much greater number advanced by that route. 

West Florida continued to be governed by the general 
commandant at Pensacola. With the exception of some 
futile attempts to form a colonial legislature, like those of the 
Atlantic provinces, it remained, the whole time, a mere mili- 
tary government. It was strengthened by garrisons at the 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. >J 

places mentioned, and also at Manchac, where Fort Bute was chapter 
erected, in 1765, for the purpose of monopolizing the trade XIV * 
of the Lower Mississippi. England constantly introduced, 
through the lakes and by this fortified outlet, Africans, ob- 
tained from their native country. These were purchased by 
the French, Spanish and British settlers, in defiance of the 
laws of Spain. Through Manchac, the English also supplied 
the Spanish subjects with all kinds of merchandize. To 
arrest this illicit trade, Don Ulloa, the governor of Louisiana, 
constructed a fort on the south side of the Iberville, or Man- 
chac, four hundred yards from Fort Bute ; but with little 
effect. Negroes continued to be imported, and sugar, indigo, 
cotton and tobacco were extensively cultivated.* 

Discord made her appearance in the councils of the pro- 
vince of West Florida soon after its organization. The colo- 
nists became very much dissatisfied with Governor Johnstone. 
He was succeeded by the Honorable Montforte Brown, in 
the capacity of lieutenant governor. Governor Elliot came in 
the place of Brown ; but, when the latter died, Brown again 
came into power. He was, however, a second time replaced, 
when the Honorable Peter Chester assumed the government 1772 
of the province, and under whose auspices it flourished for a 
long time. Governor Chester was universally esteemed.f 

The year 1765 was fatal to the inhabitants of Mobile. The 
ravages of death gave it a reputation for unhealthiness, which, 
for years, kept it from increasing in population. In that year, 

* Monette, vol. l,pp. 405-7. f Roman's Florida, p. 4. 

1* 



8 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter the 21st British regiment brought from Jamaica a contagious 
XIV * disease. Upon their arrival in Mobile, the officers and sol- 

1765 

diers rioted in intemperance, and drank the water of stagnant 
pools. Death hovered over these imprudent people, until 
none remained. Indeed, the English population, generally, 
lived too fast, converting day into night, and sporting their 
lives away in dissipation. 

Far otherwise was it with the French inhabitants. Among 
them were exhibited instances of greater longevity than could 
be found in any other part of North America. In the family 
of the Chevalier de Lucere this was particularly the case. Its 
1771 members were all extremely aged, and the mother of all died 
a few years previous to that period, from the snapping of 
her legs — the effect of the last stages of the gout. L. 
Francois, who then lived five miles above Fowl river, stated 
his age to be above eighty -three, and that the old woman, 
who was in the kitchen, cooking, and walking with activity 
and cheerfulness from one house to another, was his mother. 
She was one of the first females that came to Mobile from 
France. At the age of sixty-five, Francois fell from a pine 
tree, which he was climbing, to disengage some game, which 
had lodged in the branches. If this accident had not oc- 
curred, he would not have felt the hand of time. Although 
now over eighty-three years of age, he was accustomed, al- 
most daily, to walk five miles to the bay, angle there for 
hours, and, at night, walk home with a mule's load of fish 
upon his back, some of which his affectionate mother would in- 
stantly prepare for the supper of herself and her dutiful child ! 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



They lived comfortably, on a small farm, subsisting upon CHAPTER 
its products, and those of a large herd of cattle. Many other xiv. 
cases of protracted life were witnessed by travellers to this 
country. L'he French assimilated their constitutions to the 1771 
climate, by a regular, abstemious life, refraining from spiritu- 
ous liquors in the summer, and obtaining pure drinking wa- 
ter, from a rivulet, three miles back of the town. It was 
also the custom of many to spend the fatal months upon 
their plantations, up the Tensaw and Mobile rivers, where the 
air appears, at that day, to have been far more salubrious 
than in Mobile.* The plantation of the Chevalier de Lucere 
was on the first island, below the confluence of the Tombigby 
and Alabama. Many of the islands on the Tensaw and Mo- 
bile rivers were well cultivated, by the French, and also by 

' J J 1772 

the English, who worked them in summer, and withdrew 
their laborers, in winter, to their settlements, hard by among 
the hills, where they engaged extensively in making tar and 
pitch, for exportation. 

The first plantation, after that of the Chevalier de Lucere, 
passed in descending the Mobile river, was that of Campbell. 
Then followed those of Stewart, Audrey, McGillivray, Favre, 
Chastang, Strother and Narbone. Five miles below the lat- 
ter was the site of an old French fort, which was once occu- 
pied a short time. Six miles further down, was, at one 
time, a splendid plantation, the property of the French In- 
tendant of Mobile, but which now belonged to M. Lizars.f 

* Barnard Roman's Florida, pp. 4-13. t Ibid. 



10 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter The articles exported from Mobile and Pensacola, in 
xiv. 1Y72, were — indigo, raw hides, corn, fine cattle, tallow, 
rice, pitch, bear's oil, tobacco, tar, squared timber, indigo 
1772 seed, myrtle wax, cedar posts and planks, salted wild beef, 
pecan nuts, Cyprus and pine boards, plank, of various w r oods, 
shingles, dried salt fish, scantling, sassafras, canes, staves and 
heading, hoops, oranges, and peltry. 

Cotton w T as not enumerated among the articles of export, 
but it is mentioned as having been, at that time, cultivated to 
some extent, and machines, for separating the lint from the 
seed, were in use. One of these is thus described by Captain 
Roman : 

" It is a strong frame, of four studs, each about four feet 
high, and joined, above and below, by strong trans verse pie- 
ces. Across this are placed two round well-polished iron 
spindles, having a small groove through their whole length, 
and, by means of treaddles, are put in opposite motions. 
The workman sits behind the frame, with a thin board before 
him, upon which is placed the cotton, thinly spread, which 
the rollers receive. The lint goes through the rollers, and 
the seed falls down in a separate pile. The French popu- 
lation have much improved upon this plan, by a large 
wheel, which turns two of these mills, with so much ve- 
locity, that seventy pounds of clean cotton can be made every 
day." 

Mr. Crebs, upon the Pascagoula river, owned one of these 
improved machines, and claimed the invention of it. He 
suspended canvass bags between pine trees, and packed in 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ;Q 

his cotton by treacling, making them almost three hundred chapter 
weight* XIV - 

Mobile, in common with the whole of West Florida, was Aug *" 2 3 o 10 
visited with the most awful storms. Vessels, boats and logs September3 
were driven up into the heart of the town. The violence of 
the winds forced the salt water over the gardens, which de- 
stroyed the vegetables. The spray rose in the air, and fell 
again, at the distance of a half mile, like rain. All the hou- 
ses were tilled with water, several feet deep, and the one in- 
habited by a joiner was run entirely through by a schooner, 
which had broken from her moorings. 

Upon the Pascagoula, the storm was equally furious. The 
plantation of Mr. Crebs was almost entirely destroyed. A 
large crop of rice and corn was completely swept off. His 
dwellings were unroofed, his outhouses blown down, and his 
smith's shop washed away. For thirty miles, up that river, 
the cypress trees were prostrated and the pines twisted into 
ropes. At Batereaux's cow-pen, the herdsmen were six weeks 
collecting and bringing home their cattle. A colony of German's 
up the Pascagoula, fearing that another Noah's flood was at 
hand, were about to set out for the Choctaw nation ; but the 
abatement of the waters preceded their usually slow movements. 
The whole west coast was ravaged. A schooner, with a detach- 
ment of the 16th British regiment on board, was driven to 
Cat Island, and, when under the west point, parted her cables, 
and was carried entirely over the island, and stranded upon 

* Barnard Roman's Florida, pp. 211-12. 



12 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter another, which bore the name of Freemason. There the 
XIV * crew remained six weeks, and would have perished, but for 
their discovery by a hunting smack. The different directions 
of the currents of wind were passing strange. That from 
the south-east drove the water, in immense volumes, up all 
1772 the bays, rivers and bayous to the west, being here counter- 
acted by the winds from the north-east. A body of water 
was violently forced into the Bay of Spirito Santo, behind the 
Chandelier, Grand Gazier and Breton Isles, and, not finding 
sufficient vents up the rivulets, nor down the outlets of the 
bay, forced a number of deep channels through these islands, 
thus forming many new islands. The Chandelier, being 
higher than the others, had all its surface washed off, 
and, but for the roots of the black mangrove and myrtle, 
which held much of the earth together, not a vestige of it 
would have been left. All the shipping at the Balize was 
blown into the marshes. A Spanish vessel there parted, and 
the whole crew were drowned. The most extraordinary effect 
of this hurricane was the production of a second crop of leaves 
upon all the mulberry trees, which had never happened be- 
fore. This tree budded, foliated, blossomed, and bore ripe 
fruit, within the brief space of four weeks after the terrible 
gusts had passed away. Other trees remained naked, until 
the following spring.* 

At this time, Governor Chester was at the head of the 
government of West Florida. He was universally esteemed, 

* Roman's Florida, pp. 4-13. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 13 



and, under his auspices, the people prospered, and their chapter 
valuable products continued to increase. Slavery was in 
existence, and the government of the mother country was 

1772 

active in transporting Africans into this country. The free- March 
holders assembled in Mobile, Pensacola, and other parts of 
the province, to elect representatives to a colonial legislature ; 
but, finding that the writs required the continuance of mem- 
bers for three years in office, they added the condition to their 
votes, that the elected members were to serve but one year. 
The governor, disliking this arrangement, declined to accept 
it. The freeholders remained inflexible, and, rather than be 
deprived of annual elections, choose to remain without repre- 
sentatives.* 

In 1771, Pensacola contained about one hundred and 
eighty houses, built of timber, in good taste, and arranged 
with much convenience. The town formed an oblong square, 
near the foot of an eminence, called Gage Hill, named in 1771 
honor of the great British officer, well remembered by the 
whigs of America. f 

Turning our eyes towards the British province of Georgia, 
we find that the Cherokees and Creeks had assembled at 1773 

Junel 

Augusta, at the instance of Sir James Wright, the governor, 
and John Stuart, superintendant of Indian affairs. These 
Indians there ceded to Great Britain a large area of territory, 
upon the head waters of the Ogechee, and north-west of 
Little river. The object was to compensate the Honorable 

* Roman's Florida, pp. 4-13. f Ibid, p. 303. 



14 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter George Galpliin, and some other traders, for large debts due 
XIV * them by these nations. The governor, having no power to 
accept this cession, but seeing the influence it would enable him 
to wield, in behalf of the tottering power of his King, to whom 
1773 he was devotedly attached, he had already obtained the consent 
of the ministry to make the treaty. But Galpliin never obtain- 
ed any of these lands, or the proceeds of the sales thereof, on 
account of his boldly expressed patriotic opinions ; and Gov. 
Wright, with a vindictive partiality, paid the loyal traders, in 
preference, keeping the larger portion of the proceeds, to 
strengthen his government, and perhaps to add to his own 
coffers. Galpliin was wealthy ; he sacrificed thousands in 
defence of American liberty, and, to this day, his descendants 
remain without remuneration.* It is said that Gov. Wright 
received the order of knighthood, for the unjust direction 
which he gave these funds. In the meantime, land offices 
had been established at Augusta, and at the confluence of 
the Broad and Savannah rivers, where a town was laid out, 
called Dartmouth, but which was subsequently changed to 
the name of Petersburg. 

* Since I have written this paragraph, some of the heirs of Galphin 
have received a large amount of money, from the United States govern- 
ment, on account of this claim. They had previously applied to Geor- 
gia, Great Britain, and the United States, without success. The claim 
of the heirs of Galphin was just upon one of these powers ; but many 
have contended that it was not a just claim upon the federal government, 
but one upon Georgia, while others have contended that it was a just 
claim upon Great Britain. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^5 

This newly ceded territory began to be rapidly settled, chapter 
when a party of Creeks attacked Sherrill's Fort, killed seven XIV# 
persons, and forced the others to barricade an outhouse, where 
they would have been butchered, but for the timely arrival of 
Captain Barnard, with forty men, who dispersed the enemy. 
Other attacks by the Indians succeeded, and the settlers aban- 1774 
doned their new homes, and retired into the old British set- 
tlements, lower down, upon the Savannah. The noble Gal- 
phin, who had great influence with the Indians, despatched 
runners to the nation, who induced the Chiefs to put a stop to 
the effusion of blood, which afforded the settlers the opportu- 
nity of coming back, and of renewing their abandoned im- 
provements.* 

* McCall's History of Georgia, vol. 2, pp. 11-12. 



"Lg THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XV. 

HARDSHIPS OF THE EARLY EMIGRANTS. 

chapter Taking the reader with us, to the settlements of the dis- 
xv - tarit Natchez region, he will find that emigrants continued to 
pour in, upon those fertile hills and alluvial bottoms, from all 
parts of ' ; his majesty's Atlantic plantations." Many were 
the hardships and perils they encountered, in reaching this 
remote, and comparatively uninhabited region. It is believed 
that the history of one party of these emigrants will enable 
the reader to understand what kind of hardships and depriva- 
tions all the others were forced to undergo. 

Major General Phineas Lyman, a native of Durham, a 
graduate of Yale, a distinguished lawyer, and a member of 
the legislature of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, be- 
came commander of the Connecticut forces, in 1755. He 
served with so much distinction, during the Canadian war, 
that he was invited, by persons high in office, to visit England. 
He had formed an association, composed of his brothers in 
arms, called the " Military Adventurers," whose design was, 
the colonization of a tract of country upon the Mississippi. 
He sailed to England, as agent for this company, with the 
sanguine, yet reasonable hope, that the King would make the 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



17 



grant. Arriving there, he found, to his astonishment, that chapter 
land in a wilderness was refused to those who had fought so vali- xv * 
antly for it, and whose contemplated establishment would have 
formed a barrier against enemies, who might seek to acquire it. 
In his own country, Lyman had never solicited favor, other- 
wise than by faithful public services. The coolness which he 
now experienced deeply mortified him — his spirits sank, and 
he lost all his former energy. Shocked at the degradation 
which he imagined he should sustain, by returning home 
unsuccessful, he made up his mind to bury his bones upon 
an ungrateful soil. There he remained for eleven years, a 
neglected man. His wife, a lady of superior endowments, 
distressed at his long absence, sent her son to solicit his return. 
The sight of his boy called up the remains of his resolution, 
and he resolved to go back to America, as the grant upon 
the Mississippi had at last been made.* He reached home 
in 1*1*13. But the grave had closed over most of his original 
associates, while others had arrived at an age unsuitable to 
bold enterprizes. In company with his eldest son, a man of 
rare attainments, but who had become subdued and list- 
less, in consequence of the deep distress and mortification of 
his father, while so long absent, General Lyman sailed from 
New-England with a number of emiorants, in two vessels, 1773 

° ' December 

bound for New-Orleans. 

It is deemed proper that an enumeration of these emigrants 

* " Travels in New-York and New-England," by Theodore Dwight, 
S.T.D., LL.D... late President of Yale College, vol. 1, pp. 30G-16. 



lg THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter be here made, as "the eyes of some of their descendants, still 
xv * living in Mississippi, may perhaps rest on these pages. On 
board of these vessels, were 

General Lyman, of Snffield. 

Captain Ladley, of Hartford. 

Thomas and James Lyman, Durham. 

Hugh White, Middletown. 

Captain Elsworth, Ira Whitmore and Sage, Middleton. 

Major Easley, Weatherford. 
1773 Thaddeus and Phineas Lyman, with eight slaves, Snffield. 

Moses and Isaac Sheldon, Roger Harmon and Hanks, 

Shuffield. 

Seth Miller, Elisha and Joseph Flowers, Springfield. 

Moses Drake, Ruggles Winchel and Benjamin Barber, 
Westfield. 

Alcott, Windsor. 

Daniel and Rosswell Magguet, Hartford. 

Thomas Comstock, Weed, New-Hartford. 

Captain Silas Crane, Robert Patrick, Ashbell Bowen, John 
Newcomb and James Dean, of Lebanon. 

Abram Knapp and Matthew Phelps, of Norfolk. 

Giles and Nathaniel Hull, James Stoddart and Thaddeus 
Bradley, Salisbury. 

Ephraim Case and Hezekiah Rew, Sheffield. 

John Fisk and Elisha Hale, Wallingford. 

Timothy and David Hotchkiss, Waterberry. 

John Hyde, William and Jonathan Lyon, and William 
Davis, Stratford or Derby. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^9 



James Harman and family, and Elnathan Smith, Suffield. chapter 
AVilliam Hurlbut and Elisha Leonard, with a number of 
slaves, Springfield. 

General Lyman and these emigrants at length saw the 1774 
mouth of the Mississippi, passed up to New-Orleans, there 
obtained boats, and, after a laborious ascent of that powerful 
stream, arrived upon the Big Black river. He settled his 
grant, but was too old to cultivate it. In a short time, his 
son died, and, before he could arrange his own affairs, to 
return home, for the purpose of bringing out his family, the 
grave also closed over him, terminating a life, first, of honor 
and military glory, and then of sadness and misfortune. But 
the half has not yet been told of the troubles of his family, 
the last of whom were miserable sufferers in the Creek nation, Summer of 

' 1781 

as will hereafter be narrated. 

Captain Matthew Phelps, one of the companions of Gen. 
Lyman, returned to Connecticut, and his rejDresentations of 
the fertility of the new country excited many of the citizens, 
who resolved to return with him to occupy it. But various 
causes prevented their departure. At length, however, they 
sailed from Middletown. Among these emigrants were Ma- 
dame Lyman, the wife of the late General, with three sons 
and two daughters ; Major Timothy D wight, his wife and one 
child ; Sereno and Jonathan Dwight, of North Hampton ; 
Benjamin Day and his family ; Harry Dwight and three 
slaves ; Joseph Leonard and Joshua Flowers, with their fami- 
lies, from Springfield ; the Rev. Smith and his family, 

from Granville ; Mrs. Elnathan Smith and children, and John 



1776 
Mayl 



20 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Felt and his family, from Suffield, together with Captain 
xv * Phelps, wife and children, with many others.* 

After a voyage of three months, attended with many dan- 
1776 g erg ^ ^ e p ar ty reached New-Orleans, on the 1st August. 

August 18 Here, obtaining boats, they began to stem the muddy current 
of the Mississippi. Mrs. Flowers, an estimable lady, who was 
too sick to continue the voyage, was left at Point Coupee, 

August 27 where she soon died. The eldest daughter of Captain Phelps 
was seized with a violent fever, and, in a few days after, the 
enterprizing father became sick, with the same disease. Many 
of the emigrants suffered with fever, and the boats were 
moved slowly up the river, by the feeble efforts of those who 
were less debilitated. Captain Phelps and all his children 
becoming prostrated with disease, his boat was tied to the 
willows, while the others continued the voyage. His intimate 
friend, Leonard, who had messed with him at sea, arrived at 
Natchez, where he buried his wife. The boat containing the 

Lymans and the Rev. Smith reached Natchez about the 

same time, a few days after which the worthy minister closed 
his earthly career, and was soon followed to his long home by 
the refined and estimable Major Dwight. At length, those 
of this party who were left, reached the Big Black, and the 
improvements made by General Lyman. Here Madam Ly- 
man soon died, and was buried by the side of her husband 
and son ! 

* Memoirs and Adventures of Captain Matthew Phelps, pp. 18-72, 
also his Appendix, pp. 60-63. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



21 



The unfortunate Phelps remained in his boat, which was chapter 
anchored fifteen miles above Point Coupee, when his daugh- xv * 

1776 

ter, Abigail, died. He was compelled to bury her with his September 7 
own hands. All this time, it was only at intervals that his September 16 
family were able to assist each other in the severe fits of the 
ague which afflicted them. 

The Disposer of Events removed from this distressed man September 16 
an infant, born on the ocean, whom the sailors had named 
" Atlantic." Phelps again had to perform the melancholy 
task of digging a grave, and burying the boy by the side of 
his lovely sister. Mr. Flowers, the other members of whose 
family had died below, came, with his child, in a small boat, 
to the gloomy habitation of Phelps. They now both ob- 
tained a larger boat, and, placing in it their joint effects, began 
again to ascend the river. The Phelpses were worn to skele- 
tons, but, struggling forward, against singular adversity, and 
buoyed up with the hope of brighter scenes, they finally 
arrived at the landing of Natchez. Advancing, after a few October 12 
days, they reached the Petit Gulf, where lived Philip Al- 
ston, a gentleman of wealth and humanity. Mrs. Phelps, 
worn down with trouble and disease, was rapidly approaching 
dissolution. In a few days she died, and Alston had her 
remains decently interred. He did all in his power to alle- 
viate the sorrows of the unhappy husband, and sheltered him 
and his two remaining children under his hospitable roof. A 
few days afterwards, the fated Phelps began again to move 
up the river, and, upon gaining Grand Gulf, entered the hos- 
pitable abode of an old acquaintance. Leaving this place, he 
vol. 11. 2 



22 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter came in sight of the mouth of the Big Black river, having 
consumed nearly one hundred days in performing a voyage 

November 24 from New-Orleans, which can now be accomplished in a few 
hours. Near this place, three years before, he had purchased 
some improvements. Captain Phelps was so debilitated, that 
he had hired a lad, of fourteen years of age, and a man, by 
November the name of Knapp, to propel his boat. Upon entering the 
Big Black, the captain and the boy, disembarking, walked 
along the bank, dragging the boat after them with a long- 
line, while Knapp remained on board, to steer, in company 
with the children, a boy of five and a girl of ten years of 
age. The children were quietly sitting upon the bed on 
which they had suffered so much. Presently the boat en- 
tered a whirlpool, which forced the stern under a willow. 
Knapp jumped out and swam ashore. The terrified Phelps 
secured the end of the rope around a tree, and rushed to the 
spot where his all remained in such imminent peril. Unable 
to swim, he crawled into the river upon the willow, imploring 
his daughter to remain quiet, until he could get out her little 
brother. While the little fellow was wading the water in the 
bottom of the boat, endeavoring to reach his unhappy father, 
the willow began to sink, with the additional weight upon it, 
and, at that moment, an angry billow came rushing down, 
the boat suddenly went under, and the poor children were 
swept rapidly off. " Oh God, save them !" w r as all that the 
miserable Phelps could utter. Standing upon the unsteady 
willow, he saw them rise again to the surface, locked in each 
other's arms, and then sink forever. The bereaved man stood 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 23 



upon the tree in mournful silence — wet, cold, emaciated — with- chapter 
out property, without friends, and without children, and with 
no wife to encourage him and sympathize with him in his 
misfortunes. But Phelps was a Christian, and he bore up 
with astonishing fortitude. The calamities which had befallen 
him had been unavoidable, and yet he tortured his imagina- 
tion, for some time, with reproaches upon himself. In addi- 1776 , 

1 x December 

tion to his weighty troubles, he found that, during his ab- 
sence, his improvements had been taken from him, by a 
wretch, who availed himself of the customs of the country. 
Phelps, however, survived all this, and lived to be an old man, 
surrounded, in New-England, with a wife, children and plenty. 
He was long accustomed to relate to the sober Yankees the 
horrors which he experienced in the " Natchez country," with 
perfect composure ; always, however, avoiding the last terrible 
affair, when his two children, whom God had spared him, and 
with whom he had expected yet to see much happiness in the 
wilderness, rose up to his view, from their watery bed, for one 
short moment, locked in each other's arms, and then went 
down forever.* 

* Memoirs and Adventures of Phelps, pp. 56-100. 



24 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

JOURNEY OF BARTRAM THROUGH ALABAMA. 

chapter William Bartram, the botanist, who has been mentioned 
in our remarks upon the aborigines of the country, passed 
Summer through the Creek nation, and went from thence to Mobile. 
He found that that town extended back from the river nearly 
half a mile. Some of the houses were vacant, and others 
were in ruins. Yet a few good buildings were inhabited by 
the French gentlemen, and others by refined emigrants from 
Ireland, Scotland, England, and the Northern British Colonies. 
The Indian trade was under the management of Messrs. 
Swanson and McGillivray. They conducted an extensive 
commerce with the Chickasaws, Choctaws and Creeks. Their 
buildings were commodious, and well arranged for that pur- 
pose. The principal houses of the French were of brick, of 
one story, of a square form, and on a large scale, embracing 
courts in their rears. Those of the lower classes were made 
of strong cypress frames, filled in with plaster. 

Major Farmar, one of the most respectable inhabitants of 
West Florida, who formerly had much to do with the 
colonial government, resided at Tensaw, in sight of the pre- 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



25 



sent Stockton, where once lived the tribe of Tensaw Indi- 
ans. The bluff sustained not only his extensive improve- 
ments, but the dwellings of many French families, chiefly 
his tenants, while his extensive plantations lay np and down 
the Tensaw, on the western side. Indeed, all up that river, 
and particularly on the eastern branch, were many well culti- 
vated plantations, belonging to various settlers, while others 
were in ruins, having been abandoned by the French when 
the English took possession of the country. The plantations 
on the Mobile river, as seen five years before, have already 
been mentioned. At one of these Bartram stayed all night, in 
company with Dr. Grant, a physician of the garrison of Fort 
Charlotte. The occupant, who was an old gentleman and a 
famous hunter, annually killed three hundred deer, besides 
bears, panthers and wolves. 

Arriving at Pensacola, Bartram received from Dr. Lorimer, 
one of the honorable council, much politeness and attention. 
Mr. Livingston, the government secretary, took him to the 
department in which he did business. Shortly afterwards, 
Gov. Chester rode by in his chariot, having been upon a 
morning ride to his farm. He received the learned botanist 
with cordiality, invited him to remain some time in the coun- 
try, to make his house his head-quarters, commended his 
laudable pursuits, and offered to defray his expenses in tra- 
velling over the country under his jurisdiction. 

Pensacola, at this period, contained several hundred habita- 
tions. The governor's palace was a large stone building, erected 
by the Spaniards, and ornamented with a tower. The town was 



CHAPTER 
XVI. 



1777 
Summer 



1777 
October 



26 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 



chapter defended by a large stockade fortress, of wood, on the plan of 



XVI. 



1777 
Autumn 



a tetragon, with a salient angle at each corner, where stood 
blockhouses a story higher than the curtains. Upon these, 
light cannon were mounted. Within this fortress was a coun- 
cil chamber, where the records were kept, also houses for the 
officers and barracks for the garrison, together with arsenals 
and magazines. The secretary resided in a handsome and 
spacious house, as did some eminent merchants and profes- 
sional gentlemen.* 

Returning to Mobile, the botanist presently embarked in a 
trading vessel, manned by three negroes, and set sail for 
Pearl river. Passing along the western coast, and reaching 
the mouth of Dog river, he there landed, and entered the 
woods for recreation. Here he saw the remains of the old 
Fort St. Louis de la Mobile, with a few pieces of iron cannon, 
and also vast iron kettles, for boiling tar into pitch, Pursuing 
his voyage, he again came to the shore, a few miles beyond, 
where resided a Frenchman, eighty years of age, who was 
active, strong and muscular ; his mother, who was present, 
and who appeared to be brisk and cheerful, was one hundred 
and five years of age. Fifty years previous to this period, 
she had landed in Mobile, from la belle France. Arriving 
at Pearl island, Bartram took up his quarters »at the house 
of a generous Englishman, named Paimsey, with whom he 
passed a month. Leaving this place in a handsome boat, 
navigated by three negroes, he coasted along the northern 

* Bartram's Travels, pp. 402-407-412-414. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 2*7 

shore of Lake Pontchartrain, entered Lake Maurepas, and chapter 
proceeded up the Amite river, for thirty miles, to the large 
plantation of a Scotch gentleman, who gave him a hospitable Autumn 
reception. Bartram, still ascending the Amite, next entered 
the Iberville, on the left, and it was not long before he reached 
a landing, at which was situated warehouses for depositing 
English merchandize. A beautiful road, overhung with 
evergreens, led from this place to Manchac, upon the Mis- 
sissippi. Here, also, the English had mercantile depots, 
the chief establishment of which was that of Swanson and 
McGillivray, who were Indian traders. The Iberville was 
now dry, its channel being higher than the Mississippi, which 
had receded from it. It was, however, navigable in winter 
and spring, for the " Father of Waters " then disgorged some 
portion of his tide through this channel, into the lakes. It 
also separated, as before observed, the English colony of 
West Florida and the Spanish province of Louisiana. On 
one side of this bayou was am English fort, at Manchac, and 
just across, on the south point, was a Spanish fort. A slender 
wooden bridge connected the two establishments, and, strange 
to say, they were, at this time, peaceable, although such near 
neighbors. The next day Bartram began the ascent of the 
Mississippi, and, two miles above Manchac, stopped at an 
Indian town. The inhabitants were a portion of the Ala- 
bamas, who had once lived upon the river of that name, but 
who, when the French evacuated Fort Toulouse, followed 
them to Louisiana, and here had formed an establishment. 
The botanist visited Baton Rouge, now called by the English 
2* 



28 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter New Richmond, and various plantations on both sides of the 
XVI * great river. He was particularly pleased with the French 
planters, who had long tilled these superior lands. They 
were ingenious, industrious, and lived in ease and great abun- 
dance. 

About the middle of November, Bartram returned to Mo- 
bile, by the same route, arranged his specimen plants and 
flowers, and left them in the hands of Swanson and McGilli- 
1111 vray, to be shipped to Dr. Fothergill, at London. He then 
entered a boat, and went to the mansion of Major Farmar, at 
Tensaw. The next morning he set out for the Creek nation, 
with a caravan of traders, who transported their merchandize 
upon pack-horses. The road, like all others in an Indian 
country, was narrow and well beaten. The pack-horses were 
arranged one after the other, the oldest and best trained in 
the lead. At night they were belled, and turned out to graze 
in the woods. In the morning, so much time was occupied 
in collecting them, arranging, their packs, and preparing 
breakfast, that the sun was high before a start was made. 
Then these faithful animals fell into line on the trail, like 
regular soldiers, and began a brisk trot, which was continued 
all day, amid the ringing of their bells and the whooping and 
cursing of the drivers. 

When near the site of the present city of Montgomery, 

the caravan met a party of Georgians, consisting of a man, 

1777 his wife, a young woman, several young children, and three 

stout young men, with a dozen horses, laden with their effects. 

These fearless people had passed through the Creek nation, 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 29 



then very extensive, and were on their way to settle upon the chapter 
Alabama, a few miles above the confluence of that river and 
the Tombigby. They are believed to have been among the 
first Anglo-Americans who settled in the present Baldwin 
county.* 



* Bartram, pp. 416^441 



30 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTEK XVII. 

AN ACCOUNT OF THE McGILLIVRAY FAMILY— 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 

chapter War had now raged between the mother country and 
XVIL her colonies of North America, for more than three years. 
1778 It had become tierce and sanguinary along the Atlantic. But 
the people of West Florida, whose government was composed 
chiefly of military dependencies, had hitherto enjoyed peace. 
They were mostly loyal subjects of the King. But now, 
even in this remote region, the contest began to be felt. The 
Creek Indians were relied upon, mainly, by the British au- 
thorities, to harass the whig inhabitants of Georgia and Ca- 
rolina. They had stationed at Hickory Ground, the site of 
the lower suburbs of the modern Wetumpka, Colonel Tait, 
an English officer, of captivating address, for the purpose of 
influencing the Creeks in behalf of the King. There, he 
soon became acquainted with the most gifted and remarkable 
man that ever was born upon the soil of Alabama, the his- 
tory of whose family will now be given. 

A Scotch boy, of sixteen years of age, who had read of 
the wonders to be seen in America, ran away from his wealthy 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 31 

and respectable parents, living in Dunmaglass, and entered a chapter 
ship which was bound for South-Carolina. He arrived, with- XVIL 
out accident, at the port of Charleston. Young Lachlan 
McGillivray there first set his feet upon American soil. He 
then had no property, except a shilling in his pocket, a suit 
of clothes upon his back, a red head, a stout frame, an honest 
heart, a fearless disposition, and cheerful spirits, which seldom 
became depressed. About this period, the English were con- 
ducting an extensive commerce with the Cherokees, Chicka- 1735 
saws and those of the Creeks who were not in the interest of 
the French. Young McGillivray repaired to the extensive 
quarters of the traders, in the suburbs of Charleston. There 
he saw hundreds of pack-horses, pack-saddles, and curious 
looking pack-horsemen, in demi-civilized garbs, together with 
packs of merchandize, ready to be carried to the wilderness. 
The keen eyes of one of these traders soon fell upon the smart 
Scotch boy, who, he saw at a glance, would be useful to him. 
The next day, Lachlan might have been seen, in the pine 
woods, several miles distant from Charleston, mounted upon 
a horse, and driving others before him, in company with a 
whole caravan of traders. Arriving upon the Chattahoochie, 
his master, as a reward for his activity and accommodating 
spirit, gave him a jack knife, which he sold to an Indian, 
receiving in exchange a few deer skins. These he sold in 
Charleston, upon his return, and the proceeds of this adven- 
ture laid the foundation of a large fortune. In the course of 
a few years, he became one of the boldest and most enter- 
prising traders in the whole country. Whether it was owing 



32 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter to a superior address, a fearless disposition, or, which is more 
xvn * probable, a leaning towards the French, for personal interests, 
he even extended his commerce, without interruption, to the 
very neighborhood of Fort Toulouse. 

At the Hickory Ground, a few miles above that fort, he 
found a beautiful girl, by the name of Sehoy Marchand, 
whose father once commanded at Fort Toulouse, and was there 
killed, in 1722, by his own soldiers, as we have already seen. 
Her mother was a full-blooded Creek woman, of the tribe of 
the Wind, the most aristocratic and powerful family in the 
Creek nation. Sehoy was an Indian name, which had at- 
tached to many persons of the family, time out of mind. 

Sehoy Marchand, when first seen by young Lachlan McGil- 
livray, was a maiden of sixteen, cheerful in countenance, be- 
witching in looks, and graceful in form. Her unfortunate 
father, Captain Marchand, was a Frenchman, of dark com- 
plexion, and, consequently, this beautiful girl scarcely looked 
light enough for a half blood ; but then, her slightly curled 
hair, her vivacity, and peculiar gesticulation, unmistakably 
exposed her origin. It was not long before Lachlan and 
Sehoy joined their destinies in marriage, according to the 
ceremony of the country. The husband established a trading 
house at Little Tallase, four miles above Wetumpka, on the 
About 1745 east bank of the Coosa, and there took home his beautiful 
wife. The Indian tradition ran, that, while pregnant with 
her first child, she repeatedly dreamed of piles of manuscripts, 
of ink and paper, and heaps of books, more than her eyes 
had ever beheld in the fort, when, a child, she used to visit 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



33 



her father. She was delivered of a boy, who received the chapter 
name of Alexander, and who, when grown to manhood, XVI1, 
wielded a pen which commanded the admiration and respect 
of Washington and his cabinet, and which influenced the 
policy of ail Spanish Florida. 

Lachlan McGillivray, assisted by his alliance with the most 
influential family in the Creek nation, continued to extend his 
commerce. He became wealthy, and owned two plantations, 
well stocked with negroes, upon the Savannah, besides stores 
filled with Indian merchandize, in the towns of Savannah and 
Augusta. When his son, Alexander, was fourteen years of 
age, he carried him to Charleston, by the consent of his wife, 
for we have seen that, among the Creeks particularly, the 
children always belonged to the mother. He was placed at 
school in that town, and, after a few years, was transferred to 
a counting-house at Savannah. But Alexander had a distaste 
for business, and, while the other clerks were delving among 
the goods, and squabbling with the pack-horse traders, he 
was accustomed to steal to some corner, and there pore 
over the histories of European nations. Having an inordinate 
thirst after knowledge, his father, through thp advice of his 
friends, again carried him to Charleston, and placed him with 
a clergyman of his name, with whom, in a short time, he 
mastered the Greek and Latin tongues, and became a good 
belles lettres scholar. But Alexander was now a man. He 
had a thousand times thought, and dreamed, of his bow and 
arrows, his blow-gun, his mother's house, by the side of the 
clear and beautiful Coosa, in which he used to fish and bathe 



34 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter with the Indian lads of his own age — of the old warriors, who 
KYU ' had so often recounted to him the deeds of his ancestors — of 
the bright eyes of his two lovely sisters, Sophia and Jeannet — 
yes, he remembered all these, and, one day, he turned his 
back upon civilization, and his horse's head towards his native 
land. 

About this time, the Chiefs of the Creek nation were get- 
ting into much trouble with the people of Georgia, and with 
anxiety they had awaited the time when Alexander McGilli- 
vray could, by his descent from the Wind family, assume the 
affairs of their government. His arrival now was most op- 
portune, and the first we hear of him, after he had so sud- 
denly left Charleston, he was presiding at a grand national 
council, at the town of Coweta, upon the Chattahoochie, 
H"' 6 where the adventurous Leclerc Milfort was introduced to him, 

May 

as we have seen. He was, at this time, about thirty years of 
age. He was then in great power, for he had already become 
an object of attention, on the part of the British authorities 
1778 of the Floridas. When Col. Tait was stationed upon the 
Coosa, they conferred upon Alexander McGillivray the rank 
and pay of a colonel, and associated him with Tait, for the 
purpose of procuring, through them, the alliance of the Creek 
nation, in the war of the revolution. McGillivray, through- 
out the whole war, was devoted to their interests, and it was 
natural that he should have pursued that course, towards 
those who first honored him ; besides, his father, a man of 
great influence, was also a royalist. 

Col. McGillivray was tall, rather slender, and of a consti- 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



35 



tution by no means robust. To be a leader in war was not chapter 
his forte, and was unsuited to his tastes and habits. His xvii. 
great power lay in diplomacy, and in the controlling of men, 
as the reader will often see, in perusing this history at a later 
date. In 1778, he carried on an extensive correspondence 1778 
with the British colonial governments of Florida, and also 
w r ith that of the province of Georgia, and was indefatigable 
in co-operating with Tait, in confederating the Indians against 
the whigs. During the war, he led, in person, several expe- 
ditions, with that officer; but his chief reliance was upon 
Leclerc Milfort, a man at once bold, daring, enthusiastic, pos- 
sessed of an iron constitution, and every way qualified to lead 
Indians into battle. He often did so, while Col. McGillivray 
remained at home, controlling the arbitrary Chiefs, and com- 
pelling them to raise warriors for his King. All the while, 
McGillivray was not unmindful of the aggrandizement of 
himself and his nation, for it must be borne in mind that 
the blood which coursed his veins was Scotch, French and 
Indian. During the desperate struggle for human liberty, 
he acted in concert with many royalists, who had fled to East 
Florida, among the most conspicuous of whom were Colonel 
Daniel McGirth, and his brother, Captain James McGirth. 
They were bad men, but were brave and enterprising, and 
well suited to the times. Colonel McGirth commanded the 
"Florida Rangers," whose sudden and sanguinary attacks 
the whigs of Georgia often severely felt. Leaving Colo- 
nel McGillivray, with his red army and white allies, en- 
gaged in expeditions most harassing to the Georgians, on 



36 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1778 
March 7 



chapter their western frontier, we hasten to portray the exciting scenes 
xvn - about Natchez * 

Here, also, the revolution began to be felt. James Willing, 
of Philadelphia, with a small body of American soldiers, arrived 
at Natchez, by way of the Ohio. The ports upon that river, and 
the Upper Mississippi, had fallen into the hands of the Ameri- 
cans, and had been supplied, for more than a year, by shipments 
from New-Orleans, in consequence of a private arrangement 
between Don Galvez and Oliver Pollock, the American agent 
at New-Orleans. Willing was now sent to further that end, 
and he was supplied with blank commissions, and authorized 
to recruit for the American service. Knowing that the in- 
habitants of this part of West Florida were loyal subjects of 
Britain, to allay their opposition to his schemes, he first 
sought to place them in a neutral position. A man of inge- 
nuity and address, he made speeches, eloquently depicting the 
justice of our cause, and the certainty of final success, and 
asserted that five thousand troops were then on their way to 
protect these inhabitants from the aggressions of the British 
government. He generally prevailed on them to take an 
oath of strict neutrality. Also enlisting a hundred men, 
whose officers he commissioned, he continued his voyage to 



* MS. in my possession. Also information derived from conversa- 
tions with the intelligent niece and nephew of Col. McGillivray, still 
living ; also with old Indian traders, who knew him in those times. 
See also Milfort's " Sejour dans la Nation Creek," and McCall's His- 
tory of Georgia. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 3/7 

Manchac, and was equally successful there. By stratagem, chapter 
lie made himself master of an English armed ship, which he xvn * 
conveyed to New-Orleans, sold to the Spaniards, and wasted 
the avails in debauchery. With two subalterns, and forty of 
his original party, he returned to Manchac, plundered the 
plantations, without distinction, and rioted upon the booty. 
In the meantime, the Natchez people, hearing of these out- 
rages, formed a large armed association, for their protection, 
and stationed themselves about the mouth of St. Catharine, not 
far below Natchez, to prevent the ascent of Captain Willing. 
He was presently seen to approach, but turned his boats to the 1778 
opposite side of the Mississippi. Through the effects of a 
flag, and upon his professions of friendship, and assurances 
that he intended no injury to this section of the country, he 
received permission from the " settlers " to come over to them, 
across the river. After some consultation, he despatched 
Lieutenant Harrison, with a command, in a boat. In the 
meantime, the " associated settlers," reposing confidence in 
the promises of Willing, had abandoned their defensive posi- 
tions, and now sat and lay upon the banks, at their ease. 
When the boat approached near enough, the gunner, by the 
orders of Lieutenant Harrison, fired a swivel upon the settlers, 
by which many were wounded. The latter instantly rose up, 
in great confusion, returned the fire with their guns, riddled 
the boat, and killed Lieutenant Harrison and seven of his 
men. The others came ashore, and surrendered. Willing, 
with his remaining banditti, fled to Manchac, sailed over to 
the Tensaw settlements, above Mobile, and endeavored, in 



38 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter vain, to enlist those people in his cause. He was eventually 
xvn. ma de a prisoner of Avar, and kept in the British camp, in 
chains, and was not released until the close of 1779. 

The inhabitants now considered themselves absolved from 
their oath of neutrality, by the baseness of Captain Willing, 
and they all swore to defend the government of the King. They 
elected officers, repaired old Fort Panmure, and occupied it 
1778 w ith a regular garrison. They also marched, in April, to the 
relief of the people in the neighborhood of Manchac, from 
which place Willing had already fled. Thus, by the indis- 
cretions and outrages of the first American command sent 
here, our glorious cause was materially injured.* 

Fort Panmure, at the Natchez, in a short time, received as 
a commander, Michael Jackson, a native of New-England, an 
abandoned horse-thief, who had been driven from the borders 
of civilization. During the whole of the fall and winter, this 
man, now a captain in the British service, produced great 

* Memoirs and Adventures of Phelps, pp. 107-120. This author 
was one of the " associated settlers," and appears to have been a con- 
scientious and truthful man. He is sustained by Judge Martin, in his 
History of Louisiana, vol. 2, pp. 42-3, in regard to the outrages of 
Willing. It is, however, due to the descendants of that officer, to ob- 
serve, that Monette, in his History of the Valley of the Mississippi, 
represents him as a brave and honorable man, and severely censures 
the " associated settlers " for the perfidy which they displayed in the 
fire upon Harrison and his command. I, however, after a careful and 
dispassionate examination, believe the statement of Phelps. See Mo- 
nette, vol. 1, pp. 434-6 Monette quotes Ellicott's Journal, pp. 131-2. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 39 

dissatisfaction, by his oppressions and extortions. Colonel chapter 
Hutchens, an influential citizen of Natchez, put himself at the xvn " 
head of the malcontents, arrested and confined Jackson, and 
placed Captain Thaddeus Lyman in command. On promising i"8 
to leave the country, he was released ; but, the first night 
after his dismission from the fort, he was joined by thirty 
deserters, who were as abandoned as himself. Jackson now 
stationed himself " under the hill," where he seized some 
military stores and artillery. Sending runners to the Choc- 
taws, they returned with a considerable force of these savages. 
Jackson now exultingly fired his artillery upon the fort ; but 
his Indian allies, seeing the British flag flying from the ram- 
parts, and learning the nature of the dispute, refused to be 
made the instruments of the rascal, ajid retired peaceably to 
their homes. Seeing himself abandoned, Captain Jackson 
requested a parley, which was agreed to, and he was suffered, 
with his men, to enter the fort, and there peaceably to remain, 
until the whole affair should undergo an investigation. Here 
he soon raised a mutiny, and, one night, caused the drums 
suddenly to beat to arms, and, seizing Captain Lyman, placed 
him in close confinement. His tyranny caused many to 
desert, who were pursued by a detachment, under Lieutenant 
Pentacost. An engagement took place, when Pentacost was 
killed, and the deserters made their escape to the Spanish 
garrison, at Manchac, across the Iberville. Again Jackson 
was overthrown, and forced to retire ; but, before doing so, he 
robbed the fort of all the valuables which he could transport.* * 

* Phelps, pp. 121-197. 



40 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter In this manner, the royalists were divided, and in the midst 

xvn - of their dissensions, a large number of whigs were scattered 

about the country, anxiously awaiting the time when they 

should be joined by aid from a distance, under Colonel Clark, 

of Virginia. 

Although Spain had long experienced evasions of her 
revenue laws, on the part of the British, and had been com- 
pelled to establish a fort at Manchac, to prevent them, never- 
1779 theless she had, up to this period, maintained a neutrality in 
the war waging between England and the United American 
Colonies. But France had not been an indifferent spectator, 
and the leaning of that power towards us brought about a 
collision with arbitrary John Bull. Spain interposed her 
friendly efforts to effect a reconciliation ; but the canine pro- 
pensities of England were aroused, and that ungenerous 
government declared war against Spain, as well as France. 
His Catholic Majesty, fired at the ruthless manner in which 
he had been treated, for a friendly act, now resolved to dis- 
possess England of every foot of land in the Floridas. Ac- 
cording to his directions, Don Galvez, the governor of his 
September i province of Louisiana, stood before Fort Bute, at Manchac, 
with a force of fourteen hundred men. After a -resistance of 
five days, it was carried by storm, and utterly demolished. 
Keinforced by a number of militia, including American pa- 
triots, Galvez marched up and invested Baton Rouge. After 
a severe cannonade, of two hours and a half, Colonel Dickson, 
*' the British commander, surrendered the fort, and a garrison 
of four hundred regulars and one hundred militia. Fort 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



41 



1780 , 
March 14 



Panmure, at the Natchez, a small fort and garrison on the chapter 
Amite, and another, at Thompson's Creek, were also surren- xvir - 
dered, at the same time. 

Leaving Don Grandpre in command, at Baton Rouge, and, 
sending Spanish detachments to the other forts, which had 
already yielded to his arms, Galvez returned to New-Orleans 5 
and there began extensive preparations for the reduction of 
Mobile. After encountering a terrible storm, which came 
near destroying his transports and stores, he landed his ar- 
my a little below Mobile, early in March, 1780. Fort Char- 
lotte refused to surrender, and Galvez planted his six bat- 
teries. A severe cannonade opened a breach in the fort, when 
the British officer capitulated, by the surrender of Mobile, 
and all its dependencies, extending from the Perdido to the 
Pearl river. Thus, the Spaniards were now in possession of 
all West Florida, except Pensacola, and the country as far 
as the Chattahoochie. Knowing the great strength of Pen- 
sacola, Galvez determined to be well prepared for a siege. 
He put in requisition all his disposable regular forces and 
militia, both of Louisiana and of the country which he had 
conquered, and, in the meantime, sailed to Havana, to obtain 
more troops and heavier artillery. With a large number of 
well-equipped troops, and an abundance of stores and ord- 
nance, he entered the bay of Pensacola with his fleet, while 
his Louisiana and Mobile forces marched across the country, 
from the mouth of the Perdido. Being invested, both by sea 
and by land, General Campbell, after a vigorous defence, in 
which he was assisted by the Creek Indians, finally surren- 

VOL. II. 3 



42 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



XVII. 

1781 
May 9 



chapter dered. The Creeks, on this occasion, were commanded by 
William Augustus Bowles, an interesting person, who will 
figure in our narrative hereafter. 

The town of Pensacola, the fortress and seaport, with eight 
hundred men, as prisoners of war, and the whole of West 
Florida, thus fell into the hands of the King of Spain. The 
victorious Galvez received many honors for his brilliant ser- 
vices.* 



* Spanish MS. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 43 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

EXTREME PERILS AND SUFFERINGS OF THE 
NATCHEZ REFUGEES. 

During the siege of Pensacola, a series of events, of an chapter 
interesting and romantic character, began at Natchez, and XVIII> 
afterwards ended, with unparalleled sufferings, in the vast 
Indian wilderness, which extended from thence to the Ogechee 
river, in the distant province of Georgia. Some citizens of 
the Natchez district, the most prominent of whom Avere 
Philip Alston, Colonel Hutchens, John Alston, Captain 1781 
Thaddeus Lyman, Thompson Lyman, Jacob Blomont, and 
Jacob Winfrey, put themselves at the head of a large party 
of royalists, for the purpose of seizing Fort Panmure, and 
expelling therefrom the Spanish troops, who had held it since 
September, 1*780. They had learned that a powerful British 
fleet was off the Florida coast, whose object was the re-occu- 
pation of this country, and, believing that Don Galvez had 
already been defeated, at Pensacola, they resolved immediate- 
ly to anticipate what they supposed would be the desire of 
their King. Having assembled a large body of Choctaws, 
the insurgents assumed a position upon an eminence, above April 22 
the town of. Natchez, in full view of the fort. At night they 



44 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1781 

April 29 



April 



chapter advanced, and planted their artillery so as to bear upon the 
xviii. wor k s • h u t ? when day approached, the Spanish cannonade 
compelled them to retire. During the succeeding twenty -four 
hours, the firing continued between the parties. The com- 
mandant sent a flag to Colonel Hutchens, representing the 
danger of rebellion, and promising the clemency of his go- 
vernment, if the people would disperse, after they should 
have surrendered the ring-leaders. An answer was promised, 
to be returned the next day. During the interval, the mal- 
contents arrested a man, bearing a despatch to the Spanish 
commandant. It was from Captain Mcintosh, a warm friend 
of the Spaniards, who lived in the neighborhood, and who 
wrote, entreating the commandant to hold out a little while 
longer, when he would be supported by friends from the 
country. His letter was destroyed, and another substituted, 
written by one who could imitate the autograph of Mcintosh. 
It was conveyed to the Spanish commandant, and disclosed 
the astounding news, that the insurgents, by means of a deep 
ravine, which was at the base of the fort, had formed a cavern, 
leading directly under the fort, in which a vast quantity of 
powder had been placed, ready to be exploded by a train ; 
that the people of the country were flocking to the standard 
of the enemy, and he, consequently, suggested an honorable 
surrender. Not suspecting the fraud, the Spanish command- 
ant, in his confusion and alarm, surrendered the fort, and 
marched his garrison to Baton Rouge. 

But the exulting insurgents were, in a few days, deprived 
of the fruits of their victory. The news reached them, that 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 45 

General Campbell was defeated, and that the whole of West chapter 
Florida had been surrendered to Spain. Consternation seized XVIIT « 
every one. They knew that they should receive no mercy at ™ 
the hands of those whom they had harassed by rebellion, 
and conquered by stratagem. Abandoning the fort, they fled 
to the cane swamps, with their wives, children, horses, and 
movable effects, with the determination of cutting their way 
to the British settlements on the Savannah.* The avenues 
by the Mississippi were closed against them, by the Spaniards 
below, and the American whigs above. In a short time, more 
than one hundred individuals, besides slaves, mounted upon 
horses, and with other horses laden with their effects, set off 
to avoid the Spaniards, whom they had expected hourly to 
arrive at Natchez. Many of the children were small, and 
some were at the breast. They began their painful and dis- 
tressing flight, by striking towards the prairie country, in the 
present State of Mississippi. Wishing to avoid the Chicka- 
saws and Choctaws, into whose power they feared to fall, a 
circuitous route was wholly unavoidable, and they wandered 
from point to point, as their desperate circumstances led them. 
It was during an unusually dry spring, and the prairies, 
which they had now reached, afforded them no water. At one 
time, they suffered from the want of it with an intensity more 
than ordinary human beings, it would seem, could bear. 
Bordering upon desperation, and becoming bewildered, the 

* Memoirs and Adventures of Phelps, Appendix, pp. 4-5. Monette, 
vol. 2, pp. 462-3. 



45 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter general direction, which they had endeavored to keep, was 
xvin * abandoned, and they now strolled over the country, with 
June parched lips, under the burning rays of the sun, and amid 
the heart-rending cries of the children. Ever and anon, their 
anxious eyes fell upon distant clumps of trees, and their spi- 
rits revived, in the hope that there certainly would be found 
the sweet beverage of nature. Pushing on, to the delusive 
spot, they found it as moistureless as the land over which 
they had travelled. Mrs. D wight, a heroine upon this event- 
ful march, was descended from one of the best families of 
New-England. She exhorted the miserable caravan to perse- 
vere in their efforts to find water, although more than thirty- 
six hours had passed since they had wet their mouths. They 
now halted, and erected a small camp. The men, leaving the 
women and children in the camp, hunted, for hours, for water, 
but, towards evening, returned with their tongues exposed, 
and fell down in despair. The noble Mrs. D wight now set 
out, in company with several men and women. Fortune led 
her to the foot of two adjoining hills. The surface of the 
ground was spongy, and here, by her directions, they began 
to dig. Hitherto, they had not resorted to this plan, but had 
wandered from point to point, expecting to find running 
streams. The signs of moisture increased, and presently 
slow drippings commenced. Redoubling their exertions, they 
struck a fountain. " Thank God !" was the shout of all. A mes- 
senger rapidly bore back the tidings. The miserable wretches 
rose from the ground, and rushed to the spot. Dr. Dw T ight, the 
husband of the lady mentioned above, stationed a guard over 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 47 

the spring, until, by bathing the temples and the palms of chapter 
the hands, they could drink a few drops, without fatal conse- XVIII « 
quences. With their horses, also, who seemed as if they 
would tear up the very earth, and destroy every thing that 

1781 

obstructed their passage to the water, they adopted the pru- June 
dent course, of allowing small quantities at a time. All 
night, a continual drinking went on. The next day, filling 
their vessels from this spring, they continued north-east, and, 
on that day, happily reached some of the sources of the 
Tombigby. But now their provisions were exhausted. They 
killed and devoured the few things which crossed their route, 
and the meat of a large terrapin, divided into small pieces, 
once saved their lives. They had but little ammunition, 
which was reserved for defence alone. Having lost their 
compass, they could only follow the sun, which was some- 
times obscured by clouds. It rained occasionally, now that 
they had crossed the prairies. Now and then they came 
across small hunting parties of Indians, who, at night, robbed 
them of their pack-horses and plundered their effects. In 
addition to all these misfortunes, a loathsome disease spread 
in the camp. Finally, after wandering nearly to the Ten- 
nessee river, and then marching in a nearly southern direc- 
tion, they reached the Tombigby, about the site of the pre- 
sent town of Aberdeen, where they crossed upon rafts, con- 
structed of dry logs. They next made the Warrior, at the 
Tuscaloosa Falls, which they crossed, by alternately wading 
and swimming, from rock to rock. Unfortunately, from this 
point, they assumed an improper direction. Fearing to fol- 



4g THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter low any trail, tliey, after a long time, found themselves 
xvin * among the mountains of Blount county, Alabama. Having 
come thus far, again, towards the Tennessee, they thought 
that they might reach Georgia, by way of the Cherokee 
nation, and they continued in that direction, until, one day, 
in a distant valley, they saw some persons approaching. All 
was breathless suspense. Presently an old Indian-trader, 
with two Chickasaw Indians, rode up, for they were now upon 
1781 a trail. Shocked at the condition of the miserable caravan, 

June 

the trader generously gave them all the provisions he had, 
and shared among them his last gallon of taffai.'* He 
warned tliem not to attempt to reach Georgia through the 
Tennessee mountains, for they would meet with insurmount- 
able obstacles, and be cut off by the Cherokees, many of 
1781 whom were now in the interest of the whigs ; but advised 
them to assume a southern direction, and enter the Creek 
nation, the inhabitants of which were entirely under the in- 
fluence of Colonel McGillivray, who was a man of humanity, 
and a friend of King George. Turning immediately .south- 
ward, they once more struck through the woods, re-crossed 
the mountains, and, after incessant toil and hunger, passed 
over those which border the Cahawba. Most of them had 
to walk, and lead their horses over the perilous rocks, while 
their naked feet bled at every pore. Finally, the caravan 
arrived upon the banks of the Coosa, in the upper part of 

* A mean New-England rum, the only spirituous liquor drunk, in 
those days, by the Indians. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



49 



the present county of Autauga, a few miles below the Big chapter 
Island. Here the river was wide and deep, and its bottom XVIII « 
rocky. But occasionally it was partially obstructed by small 
clumps of rocks, between which rushed the rapid current. 
The feeble wanderers lay down upon the wild banks, with- 
out energy to construct a raft. Indeed, some believed that a 
raft would be torn to pieces by the rocks. Mrs. D wight, who 
continued to infuse a spirit of resolution into the party, which 
had, thus far, overcome all difficulties, put herself forward, 
and declared that, if but one man would accompany her, she 
would attempt the passing of the river, when, perhaps, on 1781 
the other side, they might find a canoe, or some better cross- 
ing-place. Her husband, roused by her intrepidity, swore 
that he would not suffer his wife to risk her life for the good 
of the company, without sharing in her perils. These two, 
with one other, then plunged their horses into the river, and 
the current carried them some distance down, to a dry bed of 
rocks. Proceeding over these, to the farther end of the ledge, 
the two horsemen plunged from a steep rock, and disappeared 
under the water, but presently arose, and their faithful horses 
carried them to the opposite shore. Mrs. D wight, shutting 
her eyes, then made the fearful leap, and arose with her hands 
hold of the horn of her saddle. She, too, happily reached 
the opposite shore. Then the fearless party gave a whoop 
to encourage their anxious friends, whom they had left be- 
hind. A mile above this they found a large, old Indian canoe, 
which had been stove against the rocks. Stopping the seams 
with whatever they could obtain, the two men went over the 



KA THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 
50 . 

chapter river in it, to their comrades, leaving the spirited Mrs. Dwight 
xviii. w i t h the horses. Then the wide and angry Coosa roared and 
lashed its shores, separating her from every friend she had 
upon earth. 

In the course of that day and the next, the whole party 
were safely boated over. Proceeding some twenty miles 
farther, they approached the Creek town, called by the tra- 
ders the " Hickory Ground," embraced in the southern sub- 
urbs of the present Wetumpka, on the east bank of the same 
river which they had crossed. It is impossible to imagine 
a more forlorn band, or one more agitated by hopes and fears. 
This was the first Indian town which they had had the bold- 
ness to approach, since they left Natchez, for, indeed, during 
the whole of their travels, they expected, every moment, to 
be tracked out, and all suddenly butchered. They now held 
a consultation, and it was decided to despatch three of their 
most plausible men, as ambassadors, to implore the compas- 
sion and hospitality of the inhabitants. With palpitating- 
hearts, these men rode on, leaving their companions behind, 
to await the issue. As they rode up to the square, the 
squaws were hoeing their green corn, and the warriors reposed 
by the sides of their cabins. The reader has often seen the 
fierce mastiff, as he slumbered in the yard, or the tiger of a 
menagerie, as he dozed in his cage, arouse out of his sleep, 
erect his ears, move his tail, and throw his fiery eyes upon 
strangers, as they entered. He can then imagine the sudden 
and fierce looks which the lusty warriors bestowed upon these 
haggard, way-worn and miserable men. Colonel McGillivray, 



1781 
July 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 51 

unfortunately, was from home, for this place was one of his chapter 
residences. The Indians scanned their saddles closely, and, 5VIIL 
as they were like those of the Georgians, they believed they 
were whigs. In vain they asserted that they were royalists, 
and good friends of the Creeks. About seventy of the sava- 
ges formed a circle around them. In vain did they allege 
the defenceless state of themselves, their company behind, 
with their wretched women and children, their destitution of 
provisions, and the frank and friendly maimer in which they j™ 1 
had entered their town. The expedition appeared to be 
mysterious, the motives which led to it inexplicable, and the 
unfortunate saddles, upon which they rode, contradictory to 
all their professions. A vehement debate began among the 
Indians, of which only a few ill-boding words were understood, 
such as Virginians! lour/ knives! no good! From all ap- 
pearances, the fate of the wanderers was sealed. Instantly 
every warrior seized his knife, every face became distorted 
with wrath, every eye lighted up with tierce and gloomy ven- 
geance. 

Colonel McGillivray had a body servant. He was a smart 
black fellow, named Paro, who understood the English lan- 
guage as well as he did the Indian tongue. He had been off 
on a journey, and, at this moment, rode up among the excited 
throng. He demanded the cause of the tumult. They re- 
plied that these strangers were Georgians, were bad men, no 
friends to them or to their father, the King of Great Britain, 
and ought to be put to death. The ambassadors now ap- 
pealed to the negro, and gave him an account of the nature 



£ 9 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter of their journey. He expressed himself fully satisfied, and 
XVI11, endeavored to disabuse the minds of the savages. But they 
remained inflexible, when Paro called them fools and mad- 
men. On account of their fear of McGillivray, they did not 
resent his offensive language, but assured him that the death 
of the strangers, and their friends behind, was resolved upon. 
A warrior, more moderate than the rest, said to the white 
men, "if you tell the truth, make the paper talk." The 
ingenious Paro caught the idea, and asked the men if they 
had not kept a journal of their travels. They replied, No ! 
He then asked if they had any paper about them, with wri- 
ting on it, and said anything would do. One of them found 
1781 an old letter in his pocket, which, according to the directions 

July 

of Paro, he pretended to read, slowly and solemnly, giving a 
complete history of their flight from Natchez, and the cause 
of it. Paro, all the time, interpreted it to the Indians, with 
great animation. As the recital went on, their countenances 
gradually softened, and, before it was finished, the gloom gave 
way to a smile, and the ferocity was succeeded by friendship. 
The whole body put up their knives, and coming, one by one, 
to the ambassadors, shook them cordially by the hand, and 
welcomed them to the town. They presently brought in the 
whole caravan, lodged them in their houses, fed them at their 
tables, and " poured oil upon their wounds." 

When this party of royalists had sufficiently recruited, 
they proceeded on their route, crossed the Tallapoosa, Chat- 
tahoochie and Flint, and then divided their company, and 
separated. One of the parties shaped their course down 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



53 



towards East Florida, and finally reached Savannah in safety. 
The other party were taken prisoners by the whigs, but, shortly 
afterwards, were released. Strange to say, not one died, or 
was killed, upon the whole route from Natchez, which was 
accomplished in one hundred and forty-nine days. 

Several of the Lymans, called the " unhappy family," were 
in this singular expedition. Two of the daughters of the 
late General Lyman died after reaching Savannah. Three of 
his sons were also in company. When the British evacuated 
Georgia, one of them went to New- York, another to Nova 
Scotia, and the third to Providence. They all died with 
broken hearts. Few have been born to higher hopes ; few 
have begun life with a fairer promise of prosperity than their 
honorable father, and, for a time, no American possessed a more 
extensive reputation. * 

Colonel Hutchens, with some of his friends, also lied from 
Fort Panmure to the swamps. Receiving information that 
the Indians were in pursuit of him, he set off, with twenty 
men, upon horses, intending to overtake the larger party, 
whose peregrinations we have just described. They left their 
families and most valuable effects. Hutchens abandoned an 
excellent plantation, with twenty workers upon it, an im- 



CHAPTER 
XVIII. 

1781 
August 



1781 



* Travels ia New-York and New-England, by Theodore Dwight, 
S.T.D., LL.D., late President of Yale College, vol. 1, pp. 306-316. 
Memoirs and Adventures of Phelps, Appendix, pp. 2-17. I also held 
conversations with several old Indian-traders, of the Creek nation, two 
of whom, when youths, were at the Hickory Ground when these re- 
treating royalists arrived there. 



54 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter mense body of land, and seventeen hundred head of cattle. 
xvm. T j 1(3 Sp an j arc i s confiscated the whole of it, except a bare sup- 
port for his wife. On the second night of their flight, the 
Choctaws overtook them, and killed all of them but Hutchens 
and one other man, who fled towards Georgia, and arrived 
there naked, sunburnt, starved, and worn down with fatigue. 
John Alston, and another small party, escaping to the Creek 
ration, were there arrested by the Indians, earned to Mobile, 
and from thence to New-Orleans, where, after being tried for 

1781 rebellion, they were condemned to die. But the governor 
pardoned them. During the fall of 1781, the property of 
all these unfortunate people was confiscated.* 

In the meantime, the wild region upon the Cumberland 
river was explored, and some temporary establishments 
formed at the bluff, on which is now situated the city of 

J7 79 Nashville. Captain James Robertson was the hero of these 
bold adventures, and had several times, with a small party of 
men, cut his way from extreme East Tennessee to that coun- 
try, passing over the lofty Cumberland mountains and through 
dangerous Indian settlements. Returning to the Holston, 
after having made several of these trips, he raised a large com- 
pany of emigrants, and built boats at Long Island. When 
they were nearly ready to be launched, he placed himself at 
the head of a horse-party, and set out, over the mountains, 
for the Cumberland, intending to leave signs upon the trees, 
at the head of the Muscle Shoals, after going from Nashville 

* Phelps' Memoirs, Appendix, pp. 17-19. 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 55 



to that place. These signs he intended for the purpose of chapter 

letting the voyagers know whether it would be practicable 

for them to disembark at the Muscle Shoals, and go to the 

Cumberland by land. 

1779 
A large number of flat boats, rilled with emigrants and December 22 

their effects, began the voyage from Long Island, upon the 
Holston. Those recollected will be mentioned, for the grati- 
fication of descendants. The large Donaldson family, who, 
after reaching the Cumberland, settled upon Stone's river, and 
became connected, by affinity, with General Andrew Jackson, 
all embarked on this occasion. Among the others, were Ro- 
bert Cartwright, Benjamin Porter, Mary Henry, Mary Pur- 

nell, James Cain, Isaac Neely, John Cotton, Rounsever, 

Jonathan Jennings, William Cutchfield, Moses, Joseph and 
James Renfroe, Solomon Turpin, Johns, Francis Arm- 
strong, Isaac Lanier, Daniel Dunham, John Boyd, John Mont- 1779 
gomery, John Cockrill, Mrs. Robertson, the wife of Captain 
Robertson, John Blackmail and John Gibson. These persons 
had families with them, besides slaves. 

In consequence of great difficulty in descending the Hol- 
ston, and many unavoidable delays, the rude fleet did not 
reach the mouth of the French Broad until March 2d. nso 
It was then the habit to tie up at sunset, encamp upon the 
banks, and around large fires, and to make the wild forests 
resound with noise and merry peals of laughter. All were 
now happy, and tilled with the most pleasing excitement. 
But when they approached the Cherokee towns below, they 
•observed great caution. When near Nickajack, they were 



56 THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter fired upon, from both banks of the river, by the savages ; 
xvm * but, keeping in the middle, received no material injury. 
However, unfortunately, a boat belonging to Stewart, con- 
taining his family and negroes, amounting to twenty-eight 
souls, who had been compelled to keep behind a few miles, 
1780 on account of the small-pox, which they had taken, were all 
killed by the Indians, while their companions, in advance, 
could afford them no assistance. In passing the celebrated 
" Suck," the boats were again fired upon, when several of the 
voyagers were severely wounded. In the midst of the dis- 
may and confusion, a young woman, named Nancy Glover, 
seized the oar of her father's boat, and steered it safely through 
the narrows, exposed to all the firing, and receiving a severe 
wound, of which she never complained. When the terrified 
voyagers had passed this place, they entered a wide and 
smooth sheet of water, and were out of danger. But, just 
at the termination of the narrows, the boat of Jonathan Jen- 
nings was stove upon a large rock. The voyagers were 
forced to leave these unhappy people. The Indians coming 
upon them, all the effects were thrown out of the boat in 
great haste, and it was shoved off, with Mrs. Jennings and 
Mrs. Peyton in it, who singularly made their escape. The 
Indians captured Jennings, his son, a negro and a young man 
with them, and carried them to Chickamauga, where they 
soon burned the latter to death, by a slow fire. They knocked 
Jennings down with a club; but his life was spared by 
Rodgers, a trader, who ransomed him. After being again 
attacked, near the head of the Muscle Shoals, they finally 



THE BRITISH IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



51 



reached those cataracts, where a consultation was held. Being chapter 
unable, upon a diligent search, to find the signals of Captain XVIII « 

1780 

Robertson on the north bank, they resolved to trust their 
boats to the angry waves below. Fortunately, the swollen 
state of the river carried them safely over the extended shoals. 
Reaching the mouth of the Tennessee, on the 20th of March, 
an affecting and painful separation took place — Colonel Don- 
aldson and more than half of the voyagers going up the 
Cumberland, and the remainder to Natchez and the Illinois.* 

* Haywood's History of Tennessee, pp. 85-94. Mrs. Rachel Jack- 
son, the wife of General Jackson, and the daughter of Colonel Donald- 
son, who was then but a little girl, was with this party. 



58 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER 
XIX. 



1782 
November 



1783 
January '. 



England, having lost her West Florida provinces by the 
victories of Galvez, and having the American whigs, as well 
as the natives of France, Spain and Holland, arrayed against 
her, was finally forced to retire from the unequal contest. 
A preliminary treaty of peace was signed, at Paris. England 
there acknowledged our independence, and admitted our 
southern boundary to be as follows : A line beginning at the 
Mississippi, at 31° north of the equator, and extending due 
east, to the Chattahoochie river ; down that river to the 
mouth of the Flint, and thence to the St. Mary's, and along 
that river, to the sea. Great Britain also expressly stipulated, 
in that treaty, our right to the navigation of the Mississippi 
river, from its mouth to its source. 

Great Britain and Spain entered into a treaty. The former 
warranted and confirmed to the latter the province of West 
Florida, and ceded to her East Florida.* 

But although England, by the treaty of 1782, assigned to 



American State Papers, Boston edition, vol. 10, p. 132. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 59 

the United States all the territory between the Mississippi chapter 
and the Chattahoochie, lying between the parallels of lati- XIX ' 
tude 31° and 32° 28', embracing the same portion of the 
territory of Alabama and Mississippi, which lay in the British 
province of West Florida, yet it was not surrendered to us, 
by Spain, for years afterwards. Spain occupied it, contending 
that Great Britain, in the treaty with her, in 1783, warranted 
the province of West Florida to her, not defining its northern 
limits, and that England had no right to restrict her limits, 
even if she had attempted it, for Spain had, before the nego- 
tiations commenced, acquired all of West Florida, by con- 
quest, through the victorious arms of Don Galvez. 

Turning to Georgia, with which this history will now be 
much connected, we rind that that province continued to con- 
sist, as at the time of its colonization by Oglethorpe, of a 
narrow strip of country, between the Savannah and Ogechee 
rivers, until 1773, when, as we have already seen, Governor 
Wright acquired from the Creeks and Cherokees a strip of 
country north of this, extending above Broad river. The 
Legislature of Georgia elected commissioners, who met a 1783 

& & May 31 

delegation of Cherokees at Augusta. The latter ceded to 
Georgia the country upon the western side of the Tugalo, 
including the head waters of the Oconee. A small delega- 
tion of the Creeks also assembled at Augusta, and agreed to November j 
the boundary made with the Cherokees. Thus, as Georgia 
supposed, the lines between her and those tribes were, for a 
while, determined. But the treaty made with the Creeks 
was denounced by a large majority of that nation, as ob- 



5Q THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter tained unfairly, and with the representation of scarcely any 
XIX * of the towns* 

But, before entering upon these exciting topics, it will be 
necessary to recur once more to the close of the war. It has 
been observed, that Lachlan McGillivray, previous to the 
revolution, owned extensive trading-houses in Savannah and 
Augusta, and plantations upon the river. He was an active 
and influential royalist, and the whigs of Georgia and Caro- 
lina sensibly felt his weight. When the British were forced 
to evacuate Savannah, he sailed with them to his native coun- 
try, having scraped together a vast amount of money and 
movable effects. His plantations and negroes he abandoned, 
in the hope that his son, Alexander, his two daughters, and 
his Indian wife, Sehoy, then living upon the Coosa, might be 
suffered to inherit them. But the whigs confiscated the whole 
of this valuable property, with the exception of a few negroes, 
who fled to the nation, and were added to those already at 
the residence of Sehoy. Thus, Col. Alexander McGi^ivray 
was deprived of a large patrimony, while his affectionate 
father was forced to flee the country. Another Scotchman, 
remarkable for his great commercial enterprise and capital 
sense, must also be introduced. 

William Panton was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and, 
at an early period, sailed for America, and landed in Charles- 
ton. He became an extensive Indian merchant, and owned 
large estates, in South-Carolina and Georgia ; but, at an early 

* American State Papers, Indian Affairs, folio edition, vol. 1, p. 23. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. Q-± 

period of the war, was driven from these provinces, and his chapter 
estates confiscated. He then established himself upon the XIX * 
St. Mary's. In 1781, when the Spaniards took Pensacola, he 
was residing there, owning an extensive trading-house. He 
soon formed a commercial treaty with Spain, which enabled 
him to become enriched, while the government of Florida 
was strengthened by his influence with the Indian tribes 
south of the Tennessee. He had formed an acquaintance 
with Colonel McGillivray, and was struck with the power of 
his mind. Knowing that he had been deserted by the Bri- 
tish, he sought to place him under the wing of Spain, for the 
personal advancement of the great Chieftain himself, who 
he expected would, in return, promote his Indian commerce. 
He introduced him to the Spanish authorities of West Flo- 
rida. According to arrangement, Colonel McGillivray went 
to Pensacola, and entered into a treaty of alliance with Spain. rs * 

J l June 1 

Spain was represented by Don Miro, of New-Orleans, Gover- 
nor of West Florida, Don Arthur O'Neill, Commandant of 
Pensacola, and Don Martin Navarro, Intendant-General of 
Florida. Colonel McGillivray represented the whole Creek 
and Seminole nations. It was stipulated, that the Creek and 
Seminole Indians should defend and sustain the cause of his 
Catholic Majesty, and obey his orders, through his Captain- 
General of the provinces of the Floridas and Louisiana, in 
those points which are compatible with Indian character; 
that Spain should proportion among the Indians a desirable 
and permanent commerce, at the most judicious places ; that 
the Creeks should establish a general peace with the Chicka- 

VOL. II. 4 



62 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter saws, Choctaws and Cherokees ; that all strangers, introducing 
XIX ' themselves among the Indians, for the purpose of stirring up 
rebellion against the King of Spain, should immediately be 
1784 seized, and conveyed to the Governor of Pensacola ; that the 
Indians should admit no white person into their country, 
who did not bear a Spanish permit ; that they should aban- 
don the practice of taking scalps, if engaged in war ; that 
they should deliver up all white prisoners, subjects of the 
United States, and not admit into their nations fugitive slaves, 
from the provinces of Louisiana and Florida, but should ap- 
prehend and deliver them to the commandants.* 

Colonel McGillivray was induced to form an alliance with 
the Spaniards, for various reasons, the chief of which were, 
that the whigs, as he contended, had confiscated his estates, 
banished his father, threatened him with death and his nation 
with extermination, and were constantly encroaching upon 
Creek soil. The Spaniards wanted no lands — desired only 
his friendship, and had not encroached upon him or his 
people. Besides, they were the first to offer him promotion 
and commercial advantages. When he had signed the treaty, 
they made him a Spanish commissary, with the rank and pay 
of colonel. 

Great dissatisfaction arose, as has been stated, in conse- 
quence of the treaty at Augusta, and the occupation of the 
V8 . 'Creek lands. Border war commenced. The Spanish autho- 
rities fomented these discords between the Creeks and Geor- 

* American State Papers, Boston edition, vol. 10, pp. 223-227. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^3 

gians r for the purpose of monopolizing the entire commerce chapter 
of the nation. Colonel McGillivray exerted himself to defeat 
all attempts at peaceable negotiation, now undertaken by 
those who had charge of our national affairs. 

The Provisional Congress appointed Benjamin Hawkins, 
Andrew Pickens, Joseph Martin and Lachlan Mcintosh, com- 
missioners, to treat with the Southern Indians. Pickens ad- 
dressed a letter to Colonel McGillivray, urging him to meet 
them at a convenient place, at the head of all the Chiefs of 
the nation, to enter into treaties of friendship. The Alabama 
Talleyrand replied, and we will publish his able and ingenious 1785 
letter, as the reader can better understand from it the charac- 
ter of the man, and of the times of which he writes, than by 
a narration from the author. 

"Little Tallase,* 5th [Sept., 1785. 

" Sir : — I am favored with your letter by Brandon, who, 
after detaining it near a month, sent it by an Indian, a few 
days ago. He, perhaps, had some reasons for keeping him- 
self from this region. 

" The notification you have sent us is agreeable to our 
wishes, as the meeting is intended for the desirable purpose 

* Little. Tallase, four miles above Wetumpka, on the east bank of the 
Coosa, was one of the residences of Colonel McGillivray, and from 
that point he wrote most of his able letters. Colonel Howell Rose 
now owns the site of Little Tallase, which is embraced in a cotton 
plantation. 



1785 
September 5 



64 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter of adjusting and settling matters, on an equitable footing, 
XIX * between the United States and the Indian nations. At the 
same time, I cannot avoid expressing my surprise that a 
measure of this nature should have been so long delayed, on 
your part. When we found that the American independence 
was confirmed by the peace, we expected that the new 
government would soon have taken some steps to make up 
the differences that subsisted between them and the Indians 
during the war, to have taken them under their protection, 
and confirmed to them their hunting-grounds. Such a course 
would have reconciled the minds of the Indians, and secured 
the States their friendship, as they considered your people 
their natural allies. The Georgians, whose particular interest 
it was to conciliate the friendship of this nation, have acted, 
in all respects, to the contrary. I am sorry to observe that 
violence and prejudice have taken place of good policy and 
reason, in all their proceedings with us. They attempted to 
avail themselves of our supposed distressed situation. Their 
talks to us breathed nothing but vengeance, and, being en- 
tirely possessed with the idea that we were wholly at their 
mercy, they never once reflected that colonies of a powerful 
monarch were nearly surrounding us, to whom, in any ex- 
tremity, we might apply for succor and protection, and who, 
to answer some ends of their policy, might grant it to us. 
However, we yet deferred any such proceeding, still expecting 
we could bring them to a true sense of their interest ; but 
still finding no alteration in their conduct towards us, we 
sought the protection of Spain, and treaties of friendship and 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. Q$ 

alliance were mutually entered into — they guaranteeing our chapter 
hunting-grounds and territory, and granting us a free trade XLX * 
in the ports of the Floridas. 

" How the boundary and limits between the Spaniards and 
the States will be determined, a little time will show, as I 
believe that matter is now on foot. However, we know our D 1785 L „ 

September 6 

limits, and the extent of our hunting-grounds. As a free 
nation, we have applied, as we had a right to do, for protec- 
tion, and obtained it. We shall pay no attention to any 
limits that may prejudice our claims, that were drawn by an 
American, and confirmed by a British negotiator. Yet, not- 
withstanding we have been obliged to adopt these measures 
for our preservation, and from real necessity, we sincerely 
wish to have it in our power to be on the same footing with 
the States as before the late unhappy war, to effect which is 
entirely in your power. We want nothing from you but 
justice. We want our hunting-grounds preserved from en- 
croachments. They have been ours from the beginning of 
time, and I trust that, with the assistance of our friends, we 
shall be able to maintain them against every attempt that 
may be made to take them from us. 

" Finding our representations to the State of Georgia of 
no effect, in restraining their encroachments, we thought it 
proper to call a meeting of the nation, on the subject. We 
then came to the resolution to send out parties, to remove 
the Georgians and their effects from the lands in question, 
in the most peaceable manner possible. 

" Agreeably to your requisition, and to convince you of 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter my sincere desire to restore a good understanding between us, 
XIX * I have taken the necessary steps to prevent any future preda- 
tory excursions of my people against any of your settlements. 
I could wish the people of Cumberland showed an equal 
good disposition to do what is right. They were certainly 
the first aggressors since the peace, and acknowledged it in a 
written certificate, left at the Indian camp they had plundered. 
1785 u j ] iave on }y t add, that we shall meet the commissioners 

September 5 

of Congress whenever we shall receive notice, in expectation 
that every matter of difference will be settled, with that libe- 
rality and justice worthy the men who have so gloriously 
asserted the cause of liberty and independence, and that we 
shall, in future, consider them as brethren, and defenders of 
the land.* 

I am, with much respect, sir. 
Your obedient servant, 

ALEXANDER McGILLIVRAY. 
Hon Andrew Pickens." 

This well-written communication affords the first evidence 

of the consummate diplomacy of this great native Alabamian. 

The history of this remarkable Indian will be found to be full 

1785 of interest. 

October 28 The commissioners of Congress, elated by the conciliatory 

tone of Colonel McGillivray, arrived at Galphinton.f The 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 17-18. 

t Thi3 town was named in honor of George Galphin, the great In- 
dian trader. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. Q*j 

latter failed to appear, and only the Chiefs from two towns, chapter 
with sixty warriors, met them. Disappointed and mortified, XIX * 
the commissioners declined to treat with so few. In the 
meantime, the Georgia commissioners protested against those 
proceedings which the agents of Congress had intend- 
ed to adopt; but the latter declined to do anything fur- 
ther than to explain to the Indians the policy which the Con- 
gress intended to pursue towards them, thanked them for 
their attendance, and afterwards departed. No sooner had 
they left, than the commissioners representing Georgia made 
a treaty with the Creeks who were present, which confirmed 
the treaty of Augusta, of 1783, and granted to the State of 
Georgia the territory lying on the east side of a line, to run 
from the junction of the Oconee and Ockmulgee to the St. 
Mary's river, including all the islands and harbors, and which 
now constitutes more than half the coast of Georgia. What 
considerations induced the Indians to divest themselves of so 
much territory is not stated. The commissioners of Georgia 
laid before the legislature a copy of the articles intended to i7?6 
have been proposed to the Creeks by the agents of Congress, 
had a sufficient number been present, which that body de- 
clared, by resolutions, to be subversive of the rights of the 
State. They instructed their members in Congress to insist 
on the abolition of the powers of the commissioners, while 
they adopted measures for the preservation of the rights of 
the citizens of Georgia. Edward Telfair, John King and 
Thomas Glascock, received the thanks of the General Assem- 
4* 



68 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter bly, for their vigilance and patriotism, and particularly for the 
XIX * treaty which they had made. 
D 'ember The Georgia Legislature established a county called Hous- 
ton, embracing the territory extending from Nickajack, below 
the Muscle Shoals, out of which are now formed the modern 
Alabama counties of Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison and 
Jackson. Sevier, Downs, Herd, Donaldson and Linsey, were 
appointed commissioners, to organize the county of Houston. 
With eighty men, in flat-boats, they arrived at the Muscle 
Shoals, and, in the western part of the present Lauderdale 
county, established a land office, appointed military officers and 
magistrates, and elected Valentine Sevier to be a member of 
the Georgia Legislature. This remarkable government ex- 
isted but two weeks, when the colonists were driven off by 
the Indians.* 

Congress appointed James White a Superintendent of the 
Creek Indians, who immediately proceeded to the town of 
Cusseta, upon the Chattahoochie. He addressed a letter to 
Colonel McGillivray, and received the following reply : 

"Little Tallase, 8th April, 1*787. 
" Sir : — It is with real satisfaction that I learn of your being 
appointed by Congress, for the laudable purpose of inquiring 
into and settling the differences that at present subsist be- 
tween our nation and the Georgians. It may be necessary 

* Haywood's History of Tennessee, pp. 157-158. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



69 



for you to know the cause of these differences, and our dis- chapter 

XIX 

contents, which, perhaps, have never come to the knowledge 

of the honorable body that sent you to our country. a us 

" There are Chiefs of two towns in this nation, who, during 
the late war, were friendly to the State of Georgia, and .had 
gone, at different times, among those people, and once, after 
the general peace, to Augusta. They there demanded of 
them a grant of lands, belonging to and enjoyed as hunting- 
grounds by the Indians of this nation, in common, on the 
east of the Oconee river. The Chiefs rejected the demand, 
on the plea that these lands were the hunting-grounds of the 
nation, and could not be granted by two individuals ; but, 
after a few days, a promise was extorted from them, that, on 
their return to our country, they would use their influence to 
get a grant confirmed. Upon their return, a general conven- 
tion was held at Tookabatcha, when these two Chiefs were 
severely censured, and the Chiefs of ninety-eight towns agreed 
upon a talk, to be sent to Savannah, disapproving, in the 
strongest manner, of the demand made upon their nation, 
and denying the right of any two of their country to make 
cession of land, which could only be valid by the unanimous 
voice of the whole, as joint proprietors in common. Yet 
these two Chiefs, regardless of the voice of the nation, con- 
tinued to go to Augusta, and other places within that State. 
They received presents and made promises ; but our customs 
did not permit us to punish them for the crime. We warned 
the Georgians of the dangerous consequences that would 
certainly attend the settling of the lands in question. Our 



^Q THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter just remonstrances were treated with contempt, and these 
lands were soon tilled with settlers. The nation, justly 
alarmed at the encroachments, resolved to use force to main- 
tain their rights ; yet, being averse to the shedding of the 
blood of a people whom we would rather consider as friends, 
we made another effort to awaken in them a sense of justice 
and equity. But we found, from experience, that entreaty 
could not prevail, and parties of warriors were sent, to drive 
off the intruders, but were instructed to shed blood, only, 
where self-preservation made it necessary. 

"This vvas in May, 1*786. In October following, we were 
invited by commissioners, of the State of Georgia, to meet 
them in conference, at the Oconee, professing a sincere desire 
for an amicable adjustment of our disputes, and pledging 
their sacred honors for the safety and good treatment of all 
those that should attend and meet them. It, not being con- 
venient for many of us to go to the proposed conference, a 
few, from motives of curiosity, attended. They were sur- 
prised to find an armed body of men, prepared for and pro- 
fessing hostile intentions. Apprehensions for personal safety 
induced those Chiefs to subscribe to every demand that was 
asked by the army and its commissioners. Lands were again 
demanded, and the lives of some of our Chiefs were required, 
as well as those of some innocent traders, as a sacrifice, to 
appease their anger. Assassins have been employed to effect 
some part of their atrocious purposes. If I fall by the hand 
of such, I shall fall the victim of the noblest of causes, that 
of maintaining the just rights of my country. T aspire to 



1787 
April 8 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. *J\ 

the honest ambition of meriting the appellation of the pre- chapter 
server of my country, equally with the Chiefs among you, XIX - 
whom, from acting on such principles, you have exalted to 
the highest pitch of glory. And if, after every peaceable 
mode of obtaining a redress of grievances proved fruitless, a 1787 

April 8 

recourse to arms to obtain it be a mark of the savage, and 
not of the soldier, what savages must the Americans be, and 
how much undeserved applause have your Cincinnatus, your 
Fabius, obtained. If a war name had been necessary to 
distinguish that Chief, in such a case, the Man-Killer, the 
Great Destroyer, would have been the proper appellation. 

" I had appointed the Cussetas, for all the Chiefs of the 
Lower Creeks to meet in convention. I shall be down in a 
few days, when, from your timely arrival, you will meet the 
Chiefs, and learn their sentiments, and I sincerely hope that 
the propositions which you shall offer us will be such as we 
can safely accede to. The talks of the former commissioners, 
at Galphinton, were much approved of, and your coming from 
the White Town (seat of Congress) has raised great expec- 
tations that you will remove the principal and almost only 
cause of our dispute, that is, by securing to us our hunting- 
grounds and possessions, free from all encroachments. When 
we meet, we shall talk these matters over. 
Meantime, I remain. 

With regard, your obedient servant, 

ALEXANDER McGILLTVRA Y . 

Hon. James White." 

Dr. White met McGillivray at Cusseta, with a large num- 



72 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter ber of Lower Creeks, when the Superintendent desired them 
to ratify the treaties of Augusta, Galphinton and Shouider- 
Aprii 10 bone, and to make arrangements for running the boundary 
line around the ceded territory. The Chiefs boldly opposed 
the proposition, and declared that their " lands were their life 
and breath, and if they parted with them they parted with 
their blood." The two Chiefs, who conveyed away these 
lands, being severely censured, stated that the Georgians 
compelled them to make the grant, by threats and the nourish 
of long knives. 

McGillivray startled the Superintendent with a new propo- 
sition. He said : " Notwithstanding I prompt the Indians to 
defend their lands, I look upon the United States as our most 
natural ally. Two years I waited, before I would seek the 
alliance I have formed. I was compelled to it. I could not 
but resent the greedy encroachments of the Georgians, to say 
nothing of their scandalous and illiberal abuse. But I will 
now put it to the test, whether they or myself entertain the 
most generous sentiments of respect for Congress. If that 
honorable body can form a government to the southward of 
the Altamaha, I will be the first to take the oath of allegiance, 
and, in return to the Georgians, for yielding to the United 
States that claim, I will obtain a regular and peaceable grant 
of the lands on the Oconee, on which they have deluded 
people to settle, under the pretence of grants from the In- 
dians, and which you, yourself, (Dr. White,) have seen are 
most ill-founded. I will give you till the first of August for 
an answer." 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 73 

Thus terminated the council, and the Superintendent found chapter 
himself baffled and perplexed by the ingenuity of McGillivray, 
who always managed to defeat any scheme of the Federal April 10 
Government. 

The Georgians, on the other hand, denied the charges of 
violence and fraud, contended that a sufficient delegation of 
Indians were present to make the grants, and that they 
were procured from them fairly and honorably, without threats 
or the display of knives. They contended that the Upper 
Creeks, who never occupied the Oconee lands, had no right 
to have a voice in the matter. They admitted that, at the 
treaty of Shoulderbone, in 1786, they had armed troops pre- 
sent; but they were there for the purpose of suppressing 
hostilities, should they show themselves. They also admitted 
that, for enforcing a compliance of the treaty, they carried 
hostages to Augusta, which had been customary in all former 
negotiations with savages.* 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 18-23. 



74 THE vSPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XX. 

BLOODY SCENES IN ALABAMA AND GEORGIA. 

chapter At this period, some exciting scenes occurred in the region 
xx * now known as North Alabama. We have already followed 

1779 J 

1780 a party of emigrants to the Cumberland. Many others 
flocked to that country, and it soon became well settled, for a 
wild country. The Upper Creeks and Cherokees continually 
made war upon these Cumberland people. The French, upon 
the Wabash, had, for a long time, carried on a commerce, 
near the sites of the present towns of Tuscumbia and Flo- 
rence. So long as M. Viez was at the head of this trade, the 
Cumberland people were not harassed ; but, recently, he had 
been succeeded by others, who supplied the Indians with 
arms, and encouraged them to attack the American settle- 
ments. The latter had only acted upon the defensive, but it 
was now determined to advance upon the frontier towns of 
the Indians. One hundred and thirty men assembled, from 
different parts of the Cumberland region, and marched, 
under Colonel James Robertson, to the Tennessee river, 
piloted by two Chickasaws. David Hays was despatched 
from Nashville with boats, laden with provisions, destined for 
the Muscle Shoals. Descending the Cumberland, he was 



1787 
Jnael 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



75 



furiously attacked by the Indians, at the mouth of Duck chapter 
river, and, after some of his men had been killed, and others xx# 
wounded, he returned to Nashville with his boats. Owing to 
this, the horsemen were without food during the greater part 
of the expedition. 

Striking the Tennessee at a point very near the present ]^ 7 e 
town of Florence, Colonel Robertson concealed his men. A 
well-beaten path was discovered, leading down the banks, 
and on the south side of the river stood some cabins, in view. 
Seven men were placed in the canes, to observe the move- 
ments of the Indians. A canoe was seen to move to an 
island, filled with natives, who there plunged into the river 
and engaged in bathing. They then returned to the south 
bank, evidently watching for the Americans, of whose ap- 
proach they had gained some vague intelligence. Captain 
Rains had set out up the river, with fifteen men, with orders 
to capture an Indian alive ; but, after marching to the mouth 
of Blue Water,, he returned, without having made any dis- 
covery. When the shadows of twilight began to darken the 
wilderness, the troops assembled, in the most noiseless man- 
ner, upon the low grounds. The seven men, who had watched 
all day, plunged into the mighty river early in the night, and 
swam to the opposite shore, where they discovered that the 
cabins were unoccupied. Finding a tremendous canoe, with 
a hole in the bottom of it, they brought it over to the north 
bank. Stopping the leak with their shirts, Colonel Robertson 
placed in it all the fire-arms, and forty men ; but they soon 
paddled back, in a sinking condition. The party made no 



76 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter further attempt to cross, until daylight ; then fifty men, with 
xx * the arms and ammunition, went over in the boat, which had 
now been rendered sea-worthy, by a piece of linn-bark. The 
rest of the party swam their horses over. A heavy rain 
coming on, as soon as they reached the southern shore, they 
took shelter in the cabins. When the clouds had dispersed, 
they came forth, and began the march upon a plain path, 
leading westwardly. At about the distance of five miles, they 
reached corn-fields, and, further on, they came to Cold Water 
Creek, the same which runs by the modern Tuscumbia. The 
larger portion of the command immediately crossed over, and 
entered upon the low grounds, among a number of cabins, 
distant from the river about three hundred yards. The peo- 
ple of the town ran down to their boats. Some, in endea- 
voring to escape, crossed over the creek, to the east side, 
where they were shot down by Captain Rains and a few 
men stationed there to intercept them. Colonel Robertson 
charged to the river, and his troops committed havoc on all 
sides. They killed many of the Indians, who got into the 
boats, and others who had plunged into the stream. Three 
French traders, and a white woman, who would not surren- 
der, fled to a boat, and entered it, along with twenty-six 
Indians. The Americans, with one volley, killed them all. 
The chief French trader, and six others, were captured. In 
luue ^his town were stores of tafFai, and all kinds of Indian mer- 
chandize, arms and ammunition. Colonel Robertson brought 
all the boats up the creek, had a strong guard placed over 
them, and then burned the town, killing the fowls and hogs. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



11 



Next morning, giving to Toka, the Chickasaw guide, and his chapter 
companion — who presently set out for their nation — a liberal xx * 
supply of merchandize and arms, Colonel Robertson buried 
the whites, loaded several of the boats with goods, and placed 
them in charge of three men, who departed down the river, 
with the French prisoners. Robertson marched by land, and, 
near Colbert's Ferry, overtook the boats, and they all en- 
camped there together. To their great joy, they found that 
not a soul had received a wound. In the morning, the French 
prisoners, with a squaw, were permitted to depart in one of 
the boats. They were liberally supplied with provisions, and 
their trunks of clothing were given up to them. The sugar 
and coffee, taken at the town, were articles of great luxury in 
those days, and were now equally divided among the troops. 
Robertson marched across the country to the Cumberland, 
and thus terminated a fatiguing expedition, of nineteen days. 
The boats, with the merchandize, proceeded down the Ten- 
nessee river, in charge of Denton and others. On their way, 
they met a party of French traders, destined for the town 
which they had destroyed, who, in their enthusiasm, fired off 
their guns, in a fit of joy, supposing the voyagers were also 
traders of their people. The Americans took advantage of 
the discharge, and, before they could re-load, captured the 
whole party, with all their goods. Arriving in the Cumber- 
land settlements, the merchandize was sold at Eaton's Station, 
and the proceeds divided among the troops. 

This expedition produced a short respite from Indian at- 
tacks. The savages, however, rallied, and began a warfare 



>7/g THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter fiercer than ever. At length, in the fall, Captain Shan- 
non, with a mounted party, pursued some Creeks from the 

1787 1 J l 

Cumberland to the northern bank of the Tennessee, in the 
present county of Lauderdale, and engaged in a severe fight 
with l>lack Foot and his clan. Victory at length declared 
for the daring Cumberlanders. The Chief was killed, with 
a number of his warriors. During this fall, the settlers en- 
gaged in numerous military excursions, upon Duck and Elk 
rivers, in pursuit of Indians, who were retreating from fresh 
scenes of pillage and blood. The magnificent forests of 
North Alabama were scoured, in all directions, by these 
intrepid Americans.* 

At the same time, the Creeks were active upon the Geor- 
.. gia frontier. Enraged at the settlement of the Oconee lands, 
they reduced to ashes the new town of Greensboro', together 
with the court-house, killed many of the inhabitants, on va- 
rious portions of the frontier, and carried to the nation white 
captives, negroes, and all sorts of plnnder.f Georgia urged 
the Congress to punish these depredators, by sending against 
them an army ; but the national agents were reluctant to 
enter into another war. However, Secretary Knox did plan 
upon paper a Southern army, which was not raised, while 
the Georgians were left to defend themselves, to the best of 
their ability. 

1788 Congress, again seeking to interpose by a treaty, appointed 

* Haywood's History of Tennessee, pp. 217-2:25. 
f Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 23-24. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 79 



Richard Winn, Indian Superintendent, with whom was asso- chapter 
ciated George Mathews, on the part of Georgia, and Andrew 
Pickens, on the part of South-Carolina. They opened a ne- 
gotiation with Colonel McGillivray, but he refused to meet 
them, unless they first removed the Georgians from the Oco- 
nee lands, within the bounds of the old British government. 
Hostilities, of course, continued, for it was now impossible to 
comply with the bold demands of McGillivray, who stood upon 
an enviable and independent footing. Caressed by Panton, 
with whom he was a co-partner in an extensive commerce, 
paid by the Spanish government, obeyed by his own people, 
and many of the Cherokees and Choctaws, and supplicated 
by the American Congress, the Chieftain could well afford to 1788 
dictate arbitrary terms, and continue to advance against the 
Georgians with hundreds of his prowling warriors. 

At length, Governor Thomas Pinckney, of South-Carolina, 
entered into a correspondence with McGillivray, to endeavor 
to bring about a peace and the settlement of the boundary, 
and elicited from him several letters. A portion of one of 
them runs as follows : 

* * * u rrj ie third invitation which was sent to us to 
treat, was from the Georgians only, through their commis- 
sioners, at the head of whom was Mr. Habersham, President 
of the Executive Council, and he proposed the Oconee as the 
place of meeting. They pledged their sacred honors for the 
safety and welfare of every Indian that should attend ; but I, 
being so often threatened, and having the worst opinion of 
the back people, as they are called, did not go, but sent a 



80 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



XX 



chapter few Coweta warriors, to report to me on their return. During 
the conferences of the Oconee, an additional cession was de- 
manded, which was strongly opposed by the Cowetas and 
others, for which they were violently insulted by a Colonel 
Clarke, which the commissioners could not prevent. Though 
their sacred honors were pledged for maintaining good order, 
several warriors, of different towns, were forcibly seized upon 
by armed men, and conveyed to Augusta, more as prisoners 
than hostages, to be kept as a pledge that my life, and six 
more of the leading men, should be taken. Such conduct 
convinced the whole nation that it was full time to adopt 
measures for the general safety."* 

About this time, a bloody transaction occurred in the ter- 
ritory of the present county of Conecuh. During the revo- 
lutionary war, Colonel McGillivray formed an acquaintance 
with many conspicuous royalists, and, among others, with 
Colonel Kirkland, of South-Carolina. That person was at 
McGillivray's house, upon the Coosa, in 1788, with his 
son, his nephew, and several other gentlemen. They were 
1788 on their way to Pensacola, where they intended to procure 
passports, and settle in the Spanish province of Louisiana. 
When they determined to leave his hospitable abode, McGil- 
livray sent his servant to guide them to Pensacola. The 
presence of this servant would assure the Indians that they 
were friends, for it was dangerous to travel without the Chief- 
tain's protection. Colonel Kirkland and his party had much 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 19-20. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



81 



silver in their saddle-bags. Arriving within a mile of a large chapter 
creek, which flows into the Conecuh, they met a pack-horse xx - 
party, about sun-set, going up to the nation. They had been 
to Pensacola, on a trading expedition. This party consisted 
of a Hillabee Indian, who had murdered so many men, that 
he was called Istillieha, the Man-slayer — a desperate white 1788 
man, who had fled from the States for the crime of murder, 
and whom, on account of his activity and ferocity, the Indians 
called the. Cat — and a blood-thirsty negro, named Bob, the 
property of Sullivan, a Creek trader of the Hillabees. As 
soon as Colonel Kirkland and his party were out of sight, 
these scoundrels formed an encampment. The former went 
on, crossed the creek, and encamped a short distance from 
the ford, by the side of the trading-path. Placing their 
saddle-bags under their heads, and reclining their guns against 
a tree, Kirkland and his party fell asleep. At midnight, the 
bloody wretches from the other side, cautiously came over, 
and, seizing the guns of Kirkland and his men, killed every 
one of them, except three negroes, one of whom was the 
servant of the great Chieftain, as before stated. Dividing the 
\>ooty, the murderers proceeded to the Creek nation, and, 
when the horrid affair became known, Colonel McGillivray 
sent persons in pursuit of them. Cat was arrested ; but the 
others escaped. Milfort was directed to convey the scoundrel 
to the spot where he had shed the blood of these men, and 
there to hang him, until he was dead. Upon the journey to 
that point, Milfort kept him well pinioned, and, every night, 
secured his legs in temporary stocks, made by cutting notches 
vol. n. 5 



82 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 



chapter in pine logs, and clamping them together. Reaching the 
xx * creek where poor Kirklancl and his men were murdered, Cat 
was suspended to the limb of a tree, the roots of which were 
still stained with the blood of the unfortunate colonel and 
his companions. While he was dangling in the air, and 
H88 kicking in the last agonies, the Frenchman stopped his mo- 
tions with a pistol ball. Such is the origin of the name 
"Murder Creek.' 1 * 

* Conversations with Lachlan Durant, and two old traders, named 
Abram Mordecai and James Moore. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 33 



CHAPTER XXL 

THE DEEP INTRIGUES OF McGILLI VRA Y. 

Occasionally, the Spanish authorities at Pensacola and chapter 
Mobile were guilty of consummate folly, in imposing restric- XX * 
tions upon the Creeks, which frequently offended them, crea- 
ting a prejudice, which it required the compromising spirit of 
Panton and the authority and ingenuity of McGillivray to 
remove. We will here introduce a letter of the Chief, in 
relation to the Spanish outrages. It was written to Pantom 
and dated at little Tallase. 

" I had written to you, during the great hubbub at Pensa- 
cola, by Frank Leslie. I gave, then, a sketch of my idea of 
the times. The sudden flight of Curnells and Walker ought 
not to surprise you. The cowardice of the former is prover- 
bial, and Walker fled, being njy servant. When Linder and 
the others were taken up, a little Irishman, living at Tensaw, 
was in Pensacola. He became frightened, ran out to Walker, • 
and informed him that the governor, in very severe terms, 
threatened to seize him, understanding that he was recruiting 1788 

September 

men for my service. Upon which, says Curnells, ' I am his 
interpreter, therefore my chance to escape is small.' The 



84 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter idea of the mines operated so strongly upon their imaginations, 
XX1, that they precipitately fled. This custom, of taking up tra- 
ders ignorant of the language, laws and customs of Spain, 
upon frivolous reports, if persevered in, will have effects of 
the most pernicious tendency. * * * You were lucky 
that the American stores were broken up by us, upon the 
Altamaha ; or else, after paying you some part of their skins, 
the whole of the Lower Creeks and part of the Upper Towns 
would have, in future, gone to them for supplies, so greatly 
have the traders been alarmed by the late proceedings at 
Pensacola. If our friends, the Spaniards, knew how very 
delicate it was to awaken the suspicions and fears of my 
people, by harsh measures, they would use none in future. 
All the traders that have already gone to you, I was posi- 
tively obliged to drive down, or you would not have seen one, 
for they would rather have gone to St. Marks or St, Johns. 
I hope all this is now subsided in Pensacola, for I am ashamed 
and sorry for it, I can see no reason for all this bustle. If 
the Grand Turk, or any other power, chooses to make me a 
present, provided they are not at war with Spain, they cannot 
be reasonably offended with me for accepting it. We are a 
free people, and mean to cont^ue so. * * * Your let- 
ter of the 2d runs in the same strain of advice as your others, 
. advising and exhorting me to be guarded in treating with the 
1788 Americans, and to reserve our trade wholly to Spain. Gover- 

September 

nor Miro has instructed me to the same purpose, and which 
I am fully resolved to do, that is, if I have power to offer and 
insist upon any stipulations, and so I have answered his Ex- 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 35 

cellency. But I was apprehensive that our late royal orders, chapter 
(concerning our treaty with the Americans,) now strictly 
operating, would embarrass our affairs, if not altogether frus- 
trate our intentions, regarding trade : because, if I compre- 
hend the order right, it is that I must treat of peace, and 
measures which I have found fault with, to enforce it. It 
must be, of course, allowed that every power to insist upon an 
article of that kind, or, indeed, any other, is wholly taken 
from me — for experience has proved that such matters are 

1788 

only to be attained by the longest fire and point of sword, parti- September 
cularly with the Americans. So, as our affairs now stand, I 
cannot see a chance of our resisting any conditions which 
they may choose to dictate to us, and we all can foresee these 
will be no means favorable to our present condition. In the 
meantime, I have thrown some obstacles in the way of the 
present treaty, and have written to Governor Miro, stating 
these matters in a strong point of view, which he mentions 
he has referred to the Captain-General E&plelata, of Havana. 
The letter is dated 28th August, aud sent by one Nolen, a 
genteel young Irishman, whom the governor desired me to 
forward to Cumberland, with some propositions towards a 
commercial treaty. 

" The present interregnum in the American government, 
and the commissioners putting off the treaty until the next 
spring, will afford us all time to look around us. White- 
field's letter will show you the dispositions of the Georgi- 
ans. The United States commissioners wanted the As- 
sembly to co-operate,* in a treaty of peace, and the House 



g5 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter would not assemble. The Georgians proclaimed a truce of 
arms with us, on the 31st Jul v. A Coweta Indian o'ave me, 

1788 . 

September lately, a wretched, dirty and scandalous scrawl, on foul paper, 
which he found on a tree, near Flint river. It proved to be 
a threatening talk to me and my savage subjects ; that we 
(the Creeks) should have no establishment of peace until 
they (the Georgians) shall have full satisfaction of all their 
desires, etc. Signed, James Alexander, the 15th August. 
The chap that signs is Colonel Alexander, who murdered the 
Cussetas. He and Clarke swayJJpper Georgia. 

" The impolicy of certain late measures, in tieing us up, is 
evident. If we could have followed up our blows, those fel- 
lows, ere this time, would have been effectually humbled ; 
but we have all our work to do over again. 

" I observe, with much satisfaction, that the Governor and 
Intendant of New-Orleans have relinquished their claim, of 
one-fourth of the profits of your trade. Such a procedure is 
extremely generous, and, as for my part, I now repeat to you 
what I told you more than twelve months ago, when we were 
talking upon the subject of the trade. I then observed that 
my nation was much benefited by the honorable and liberal 
manner in which you supplied them with goods ; that, as 
my attention was wholly occupied about my people, it 
could not be in my power to be of any essential service to 
your business : therefore I could not, and ought not, to claim 
or hold a share of your industry and risks. * * * In 
the meantime, I am thankful for the generous credit of ne- 
cessaries which you offered me, and if I conclude a peace with 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



87 



the Americans, which I expect to do, it will be in my power chapter 
and ability to settle my account with you. These gentry XXL 
will probably restore me my property now among them. 

" Our Indian news is in the old strain. The Congress, on 
the one hand, pretends to hold out the white wing to all the 
Southern nations ; on the other, the back settlers of North- 
Carolina are overrunning the Cherokees, driving them into 
the woods, murdering women and children, as if they wished 
to extirpate these poor wretches. A party of my warriors 
lately went among the Cherokees, collected some of them ge t ' em b er 
from their hiding-places, and attacked a body of the Franklin 
troops, that were laying all waste before them, and completely 
routed them. Only three Americans escaped. This is the 
first check they ever got in that country, and it has revived 
the drooping spirits of the Cherokees. 

"During our present suspense and half truce, I have en- 
couraged a considerable party of the Upper Creek warriors 
to go to the assistance of these poor devils, for a few more 
checks will be of great service to their affairs with the Ame- 
ricans. * * * I have instructed Daniel McGillivray 
concerning the skins he carries down, of the Wewocoe store. 
This specimen of the troubles of trade has sickened me with it- 
Farewell, my dear sir, may every good attend you, 
Yours, most truly, 

ALEXANDER McGILLlVRAY. 

To William Panton, Pensacola." 

The perusal of this letter has revealed the motives of its 
5* 



88 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter author. McGillivray had offended the Spanish authorities, 
XXI * and this letter appears to have been written chiefly for their 
September eyes. He affects, also, to be under great obligations to Pan- 
ton, and of little service to him in their commercial connec- 
tion, which he pretends to desire shall terminate. This was 
all done for the purpose of alarming Panton, whom he in- 
forms he hopes to be able to pay up, if he should make a 
favorable treaty with the Americans. The wily Chieftain well 
knew that both Spain and this distinguished merchant would 
make any sacrifices, before they would permit him to be 
bought up by the Americans, and that his letter would go to 
extort from them further favors and emoluments. 

During the succeeding twelve months, the Federal Govern- 
ment seized upon every occasion to gain the friend-hip of 
McGillivray, and to put an end to the excitement in Georgia. 
II. Osborne and Andrew Pickens were all the time upon the 
frontiers, representing the General Government, and writing to 
McGillivray to meet them, with a delegation from the entire 
Creek nation, at Rock Landing, upon the Oconee, to settle 
the serious matters in dispute. The Chieftain at length ar- 
ranged to meet them ; but, just before the time of joining 
them, wrote the following letter to Panton, which he requested 
should privately be exhibited to the Spanish authorities : 

"Little Tallase, 10th August, 1*789. 
" Dear Sir : — There being no pack-horses going to Pensacola 
Ausustio f or a j on g £j me p as ^ I have had no opportunity to answer 
your last letters. The bearer, on my promising him two kegs 
of taffai, has undertaken to convey these to you. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI g<) 

" Galphin, whom I sent to the Rock Landing*with a talk, chapter 
declining the treaty of June last, returned about a fortnight xx1, 
since, and I find that they are resolved upon making a treaty. 
In order to accommodate us, the commissioners are complai- 
sant enough to postpone it till the 15th of next month, and 
one of them, the late Chief Justice Osborne, remains all the 
time at Rock Landing. Pickens returned for the Cherokee 
treaty ; but in this I took measures to disappoint him, for 
those Chiefs would not meet. In this do you not see my 1789 
cause of triumph, in bringing these conquerors of the Old, 
and masters of the New World, as they call themselves, to 
bend and supplicate for peace, at the feet of a people whom, 
shortly before, they despised and marked out for destruction.* 

" My people being all at home, and the grand ceremony of 
kindling the new fire being just over, I deem it the fittest 
time to meet these commissioners, and have accordingly made 
the broken days, of which nine are left, to set out in. In 
conducting the business of the treaty, I will, as you observe, 
confine it to the fixing our limits and the acknowledgment of 
the independence of my nation. This I deem very necessary, 
as the Americans pretend to a territorial claim and sovereignty 
over us, in virtue of the late peace made with England. This 
being settled, will, in a great measure, be doing away with 

* I can well imagine how MeGillivray looked when he wrote this 
strong and eloquent sentence. At that moment he evidently felt his 
power, and his face must have teen expressive of much pride, exulta- 
tion and scorn. 



90 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



XXI. 

1789 
August 10 



chapter any cause oWuture quarrel between us. You well know how 
customary it is, in all treaties with the Indians, to agree to a 
commercial one also — it being absolutely necessary, as it more 
firmly attaches them to friendships formed, for, without stipu- 
lations of that sort, in a treaty of peace, none will be lasting. 
However, in this instance, I will agree to none, as you have a 
prospect of being able, by the favor of the Spanish govern- 
ment, to supply this trade on as moderate terms as the Geor- 
gians can do. Here, let me observe to you, that, in the affair 
of trade, the Americans will push hard for it, and it will be 
for us the most difficult part of the negotiation. But I will 
risk the breaking off the conference, before I will give in to it. 
On the whole, if I find that the commissioners insist upon 
stipulations that will, in their operation, clash with those 
already entered into with Spain, I shall not hesitate to cut 
short the negotiation, and support the connection which we 
have with Spain, it being more safe and respectable than the 
republicans can make one. But, at the same time, I must 
insist upon an equal resolution in our friends, the Spaniards, 
to afford us their decided support, by every means in their 
power, and not, under any pretences, to repeat their conduct 
of last summer, in the very moment of vigorous exertion, to 
refuse a further aid, and incense and menace us, to make a 
peace, right or wrong, with the Americans, which, if Ave had 
done at the time, we should have been driven into hostility 
with Spain before this day. I repeat to you what I have 
frequently done to Governor Miro, that, if we are obliged, for 
want of support, to conclude an unconditional peace with the 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. q-i 

Americans, it will prove essentially hurtful to the King's in- chapter 
terest. XXI * 

" The ammunition and arms, given us by the King, we 
have not yet been able to fetch away. It is a good store in 
hand, to make ourselves firm, in treating with the Americans. 
But I am miserably disappointed in the guns. These my 1789 
people, who have ever been accustomed to the best English 
guns, find the greatest difficulty to use, being entirely unfitted 
either for the purposes of hunting or war. They may say 
they have no other ; but I pointed out where they may be 
got, and, if our friends resolve to support us, they might do 
it with that which is good. 

" A Chief of the Coosawdas, named Red Shoes, has lately 
returned from New-Orleans, very well satisfied with his recep- 
tion and treatment there, and has brought a very good talk 
with him, and I am equally satisfied that the western horizon 
is again cleared up, and looks fair, and so it will always con- 
tinue, if the intention of adopting, as good Spaniards — * * * 
The restless American is entirely given up, I mean in our 
neighborhood, between us and the Choctaws. I have ob- 
served to Governor Miro, that the reasons he gave me for 
settling Americans on the west side of the Mississippi are 
founded in real political principles, and I truly wish it was in 
the compass of our power to drive them all from the Cum- 
berland and Ohio, to seek the new asylum, so, being moved 
out of our way, our warriors would never follow them there. 
The Coosawda Chief, Red Shoes, being disgusted with Captain 
Folch, of Fort " Tombccbe," resolved to go to Governor Miro, 



92 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter who satisfied him. Between you and I, believe me, thatFolch 
is a madman. If he had spoken to an assembly of the Creek 
Chiefs, as he did to the Alabamas, challenged them to war, 
and exhibited to them his swivels, etc., he would have been 
directly taken at his word. He has been heard to declare 
that any person who would murder me should be protected 
in Spanish limits. I do not doubt his evil intention, as he 
has already given a specimen of it, in having assassins to 
murder a poor fellow, Lawrence, in the house of my sister, 
Sehoy Weatherford.* Such men, in official stations, do great 
injury to their country, at one time or another. This has 
been proved. 
'J 89 " My friend, the governor, is likewise possessed with the 

belief, that all the damage done the settlers below is done by 
us ; but it is wrong. The whole was a few horses and men 



* Lawrence was killed in the house of Sehoy Weatherfbrd, then 
situated upon the spot where Colonel Chailes Hooks formerly lived, and 
which is now owned by Maurice Connolly. In those days, a man and 
his wife seldom lived in the same house. The husband, Charles Wea- 
theiford, lived at his race track, a few miles above, on the Alabama. 
Lawrence and others were accused of stealing horses from the Span- 
iards, near Mobile, and Captain Folch sent some equally bad men in 
pursuit of them. The accused took refuge in Sehoy Weatherford's 
house. It was surrounded, and Lawrence was killed in the middle of 
the floor. The others escaped. It is this circumstance to which Me- 
Gillivray alludes. I derived these facts frcm Lachlan Duiant, who was at 
the house of his aunt Weatheifbrd, when Lawrence was killed. Du- 
rant was then a boy. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 93 

taken, and my sister Durant took back the greater portion chapter 
of these from the Coosawdas. But, at present, the Choctaw XXL 
is the favorite, and all the outrages which they commit are 
carefully turned upon us by their partizans. It is notorious 
that the Choctaws are discontented, and Indians never fail to 
manifest it, either in taking scalps or committing depredations, 
which last they do, for it is common for them to kill horses 
and cattle, etc., on " Tombecbe," and this summer even about 
Mobile. But all this is concealed from Governor Miro. Ben 
James, who is so much confided in, is privately an American 
agent, and has actually a commission, which he received from 
Georgia, to act with Davenport, and I know, could he be sup- 
ported with any necessaries by the Americans, he would throw 
off the mask. He was even weak enough to address me for 
leave to open a trade with the States, which I refused him, as 
well as his application. As a proof of my assertions respecting i:89 
the Choctaws, Folch sent them a talk this summer, menacing 
them with a stoppage of their trade, until they made satisfaction. 
I am ever ready to make allowances for a momentary impres- 
sion, caused by false reports ; but it would be better that they 
were more guarded against, and not made the grounds of 
making differences, which might produce a serious effect. 
The late menaces which were thrown out to me created no 
great anxiety in my mind, because I could have directly 
opened the eastern door, where large magazines of goods, 
etc., have been stored, for some time past, awaiting it to be 
opened, but, for peace and quietness sake, I hope that there 
will be no occasion now for it — as everything is fallen into a 



August 10 



94 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 

chapter calm, so let it remain ; and, all that I have said or done 
was solely to discover and show the means to prevent it, I 
hope forever, between ns. 

" The Chickasaw nation are content (whatever Diego Mingo 
may say to the contrary,) to put up with the loss of that 
chap's brother and son, for having fallen in bad company. 
This will be a warning, and convince them that they will not 
be permitted, with impunity, to act or encourage hostile de- 
signs against us, in concert with any people. 

"Now, let me talk a little upon my private affairs. I wish 
T could lay my hand on that last letter, to send you, and a 
very curious, and, to you, not an uninteresting Carolina news- 
paper, just received ; but they are both swallowed up in a 
multitude of papers. You know how it is with me, in the 
paper way. The commissioners of the United States say, it 
would give them great pleasure to have a private conversation, 
previous to our entering into the business of the treaty, as it 
would tend to make it go on agreeably, and with more ease. 
I need not interpret this paragraph to you, when you already 
know that I have, for some time past, been endeavoring to 
recover my house and lands, with my family estate, which, to 
your knowledge, is more than £30,000 sterling, the offer of 
which is now, I expect, to be pressed upon me. And there 
has, since I saw you last, arisen considerable conflict in my 
mind, in revolving these matters over. Here am I, an abso- 
lute heavy tax upon you, for years, and, in fact, not only for 
my private support, but for all the extra expenses of this 
department; and although, my dear sir, I know that I 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 95 

can still depend upon your generosity, and in your friendship, chapter 
that you overlook the heavy expense that I put you to, yet 
you well know how hurtful it is to the feeling heart, to be August 10 
beholden to subsist on the bounty of private friendship. Thus 
situated, I ask — I wish you to give me your opinion. On the 
one hand, I am offered the restoration of my property, of 
more than one hundred thousand dollars, at the least valua- 
tion ; and on the other, not wherewithal to pay an interpreter. 
And I find that letters are still addressed to me, as agent for 
his Catholic Majesty, when J have sometime ago renounced 
the pittance that was allowed, as being a consideration dis- 
graceful to my station. If they want my services, why is not 
a regular establishment made, as was done by the English, 
with a competent salary affixed, and allowance for two inter- 
preters, one among the Upper and one among the Lower 
Towns, for, hitherto, I have had to maintain them myself; or 
shall I have recourse to my American estate, to maintain 
them and myself. T wish you to advise me what I had best 
do. 

"Although I have no solid ground to hope a complete ad- 
justment of our dispute with the Americans, I am resolved to 
go, if it is only to wipe off the suggestion made to me by our 
friends, that I am actuated by unjust motives and an unrea- 
sonable prejudice against the Americans, as the ground of 
hostility against them. But if they, on the other hand, should 
find a body of people approaching their mines, would not they 
say, what business have you here ? Do not you know that 
there are grounds from which we draw the chief source of 



95 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter our conveniences and happiness, and we cannot suffer you to 
XXI * participate in, or deprive us of them ; and these encroachers 
should refuse to withdraw, would they not commence and 
support an inveterate hostility, until they should expel them. 
" The fellow, Romain, whom Madame Villar writes of, was 
a 1?8 ! lo a S rea * nar ' ^ e came here from the Choctaws, with a quan- 
tity of silver-ware and a few goods, and wanted Nick White 
to join him in purchasing negroes, to carry and sell in New- 
Orleans. After roving about for some time, he had a diffe- 
rence with Milfort,* who threatened to send him, in irons, to 
New-Orleans, which terrified him, apparently, and he went 
off to the Creek town, Chehaw, and, from thence, either to 
Detroit or to the States. 

" A copy of this letter you can send to the **** Miro, as 
I intended the former one. 

"I expect our treaty will be over by the middle of Septem- 
ber. If we return safe, expect a visit early in October, from 
Dear Sir, yours, most truly, 

ALEXANDER McGILLIVRAY. 
To William Panton, Pensacola." 

William Panton was under great obligations to McGillivray, 
for the power of the Chieftain had enriched him beyond mea- 
sure. He now had large trading establishments at all the 
prominent posts of Florida. His chief store was at Pensaco- 
la. It usually contained a stock of goods to the value of fifty 
thousand dollars, and he employed fifteen clerks to attend to 

* The French officer who lived so long in the nation. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 97 

it. Here he had extensive " skin-houses," where his valuable chapter 
skins and rich furs were assorted, and packed up, for foreign xx1, 
markets. Besides his stores at St. Johns, St. Marks, St. Au- 
gustine, Pensacola and Mobile, he had trading establishments 
at the Chickasaw Bluff, upon the Mississippi. It is said that 
fifteen schooners, owned by himself, were constantly employed 
by him, in his business. How alarming to him, then, was 
the preceding letter of McGillivray, and how anxious was he 
that no treaty should be made with the Americans, that would 
affect his extensive commerce. McGillivray, on the other 
hand, was in a situation the most favorable to obtain honors 
and emoluments, and he could well threaten the Spaniards 
with " opening the eastern door" — the Americans with support 
from the King of Spain — and alarm Panton with the idea of 
a new commercial treaty. This able and ingenious Indian, 
Scotchman or Frenchman, (for who can tell which blood most 
influenced his disposition,) kept Panton, Spain and the United 1739 
States in a state of feverish excitement, while Georgia was 
horribly harassed, and made to feel his malignant resent- 
ments, for the banishment of his father and the confiscation 
of his patrimony. 

Washington was now President. He associated with Gen. 
Pickens, David Humphreys, Cyrus Griffin and Benjamin Lin- 
coln, as commissioners, to treat with McGillivray. These three 
gentlemen, sailing from New- York, arrived at Savannah, with September 10 
abundant provisions to feed the Indians, while at the treaty- 
ground. In a few days, they reached Rock Landing, upon 
the Oconee, where McGillivray, at the head of two thousand 



98 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISS1SSJFP1. 



chapter warriors, had been encamped for more than a week, on the 
xx1, western bank of the river. The commissioners pitched their 
camp on the eastern bank. The first two days were spent in 
private conferences with McGillivray, much to the satisfaction 
of the commissioners, for they were treated by him with great 
courtesy and politeness. The latter also visited most of the 
Chiefs, who all appeared friendly, and glad to make their ac- 

September 24 quaintance. The commissioners crossed the river, to the western 
side, and, after partaking of the black drink, were conducted, 
by the Chiefs, with great pomp and ceremony, to the place of 
council. One of them made a speech to the Indians, promi- 
sing much liberality on the part of the United States, which 
was well received. Impressed with the favorable turn of 
things, as they supposed, they immediately read to the Chiefs 
a copy of the treaty, which they had drawn up. It stipulated 
that the boundary made at Augusta, Shpulderbone and Gal- 
phinton should remain ; that the United States would gua- 
rantee the territory, west of that boundary, forever to the 
Creeks ; that a free trade should be established with the 
Indians, from ports upon the Altamaha, through which the 
Indians could import and export, upon the same terms as the 
citizens of the United States. That all negroes, horses, goods 
and American citizens, taken by the Indians, should be re- 
stored. 
September The commissioners then retired to their encampments, and 
that night McGillivray and his Chiefs went into a grand pri- 
vate council. The next morning the Chieftain informed the 
commissioners, by letter, that the terms they proposed were 



XXI. 



September 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 99 

not satisfactory, and that the Indians had resolved to break chapter 
up and go home. He promised to meet them again, at some 
future time, and to keep his warriors from acts of hostility, 
during the ensuing winter. The commissioners were astound- 
ed, for they had imagined that everything was in a proper 
train. But the terms they proposed were unaccompanied 
with a solitary equivalent, and exhibited an extremely nig- 
gardly spirit, from which the high-minded Andrew Pickens 
wholly dissented. He knew that a treaty could not be made, 
without liberal compensation for the valuable lands which the 
Georgians were then cultivating. The federal powers also knew 
this, and had instructed the commissioners to pay the Creeks 
a fair equivalent for this territory. They now sought every 
means to induce McGillivray to remain, and begged him to 
state his grounds of objection to the draft of the treaty. But 
he broke up his encampment, and retreated to theOckmulgee, 
from which place he addressed the commissioners the follow- 
ing letter : 

"Ockmulgee River, 27th Sept., 1*789. 
" Gentlemen : — I am favored with you letter of yesterday, 
by Weatherford. I beg to assure you that my retreat from 
my former camp, on the Oconee, was entirely owing to the 
want of food for our horses, and at the earnest entreaty of our 
Chiefs. Colonel Humphreys and myself, at different inter- 
views, entered deeply and minutely into the subject of the 
contest between our nation and the State of Georgia. I ob- 
served to him that I expected ample and full justice .should 
be given us, in restoring to us the encroachments wei com- 



100 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter plained of, in which the Oconee lands are included ; but, find- 
ing that there was no such intention, and that a restitution of 

1789 ° § 

September territory and hunting-grounds was not to be the basis of a treaty 
between us, I resolved to return to the nation, deferring the 
matter, in full peace, till next spring. Many of the principals 
have gone hunting — nothing further can be done. I am 
very unwell, and cannot return. We sincerely desire a peace, 
but cannot sacrifice much to obtain it. As for a statement 
of our disputes, the honorable Congress has long since been 
in possession of, and has declared that they will decide on 
them on the principles of justice and humanity. Tis that we 
expect, 

I have the honor to be, etc., 

ALEXANDER McGLLLIVRAY. 
To the Hon. Commissioners, Rock Landing." 

The commissioners repaired to Augusta, with their ringers 
in their mouths. They drew up a series of questions for 
Governor Walton, of Georgia, who answered them. He sta- 
ted that the lands between the mountains and the old Oge- 
chee line, north of the Oconee, were equally the property of 
the Creeks and Cherokees ; that, before the revolution, the 
lands in the territory of Wilkes county were ceded by these 
1789 tribes to Georgia ; that, during the war, the province had 

November & ' s l 

been attacked by these Indians, and, at the close of it, they 
were respectively called upon to make some satisfaction ; that, 
in the spring of 1*783, the Cherokees came to* Augusta, and 
signe^ a treaty, and the Lower Creeks came, in the autumn, 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



101 



and performed the same act, thus ceding to Georgia their chapter 

l respective rights to lands specified in these treaties. These XXL 
> treaties were laid before the legislature. These lands were 

I surveyed, sold, settled and cultivated in peace ; that the In- 1789 

J ' l November 

dians made these cessions voluntarily, and received presents, 
) in return, of value, and that, at the treaty of Galphinton, no 
g. unworthy use was made of the force which was sent upon 
A the ground. 

^. Governor Walton appended to this statement, a list of the 
^ Georgians who had been killed, and of the property stolen, du- 
ring the recent hostilities, which was alarming in magnitude.* 
The first impulse of President Washington, upon the re- 
turn of the commissioners to New- York, was to wage a war of 
invasion against the Creeks and* compel them to make a peace, 
and relinquish the Oconee lands. He was influenced to this 
course, against his judgment, by the urgent demands of the 
Georgia delegation in Congress. But when he found, from 
an estimate, that the expenses of the war would amount to 
fifteen millions of dollars, he abandoned the project, believing l78 9 
that the General Government could not sustain such an ex- 
pense, while it was still struggling with that incurred by a 
long war with England. He believed that the difficulties 
could yet be settled by negotiation, if he could once get 
Colonel McGillivray into his presence. Col. Marinus Willett, 
a native of Long Island, New- York, and a distinguished offi- 
cer in the Canadian war, and the American revolution, was 

* American State Papers.. Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 65-78. 
VOL. II. 6 



IQ2 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter selected bv Washington, as a secret agent, to visit the Creek 



XXI. 



nation, by a circuitous route, and to endeavor to return, with 
McGillivray, to the seat of the Federal Government. He was 
strictly enjoined to keep his mission a profound secret from 
every one, except General Pickens, to whom he bore a letter. 
Colonel Willett sailed from New- York, with a servant and 
two horses, and, after a passage of fourteen days, arrived in 
Charleston. Leaving this place, he had not proceeded far, # 



before the servant, manifesting much fear, was ordered back 

to New- York, while a German, of doubtful character, supplied 

. 179 .° 10 his place. Colonel Willett reached the residence of General 

April 13 x 

Andrew Pickens, on the Seneca river. General Pickens was 
a gentleman who had been engaged extensively, as we have 
already seen, in negotiations with the Indians, and one in 
whom Washington reposed great confidence. Obtaining from 
General Pickens an Indian guide, for the Cherokee country, 
April 19 and purchasing two additional horses, he sat out, to complete 
his lonely and difficult mission, after having enjoyed, for seve- 
ral days, the hospitality and kindness of that distinguished 
revolutionary character. Pursuing his journey leisurely, the 
Cherokee town of Santee, containing eighteen houses, and 
surrounded by mountains, was first reached. The route lay 
through Little Chote, and the town of Huntowekee, which 
embraced both sides of a branch of the Coosa, and contained 
about fifty houses. Along the banks of the Etowah, Colonel 
Willett entered Newcoheta, or Long Swamp, where he met 
Mr. Thomas Gogg, to whom he bore a letter from General 
Pickens. This gentleman accompanied him to Pine Log, 






THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^(33 

where he had long- resided, as a trader among- the Cherokees, chapter 
and introduced him to Yellow Bird, the Chief, who not only 
received him with unaffected hospitality, but invited him to 
witness the novel and exciting game of the ball play. On 
the banks of the river, they reached Eustenaree, a city of 
refuge, to which the guilty were wont to fly, and be safe from 
punishment. jSTo blood could be shed within the bounds of 
its sacred corporation. Here resided two Indian Chiefs, 
Badger and Jobberson, who gave him a warm reception, in- 
duced by the letters of General Pickens. The next morning, 
Jobberson and the interpreter, Mr. Carey, having agreed 
to accompany him to the Creek nation, the party all proceeded 
to Hihote, the last of the Cherokee towns in this direc- 
tion, crossed the Etowah in a canoe, swam the horses, and A ril28 
ascended the Pumpkin Posh mountain, which is nearly a 
day's travel from the river. The wealthy Mr. Scott, a Eu- 
ropean, who had long been a trader in the nation, resided in 
the first Creek settlement, which they now entered. Here, April 30 
learning that McGillivray was then on a visit to Ocfuske, on 
the Tallapoosa river, Colonel Willett determined to join him 
at that place. Since he had left the borders of South-Caro- 
lina, more than ten days had been consumed in his solitary 
march, over a wilderness country, which was the constant 
scene of murder and robbery. The expenses of the expedi- 
tion, chiefly for provender, Were paid for in ribbons and paints. 
At the house of Mr. Graison, in the Hillabees, the secret agent 
had the good fortune to meet Colonel McGillivray. He de- 
scribes him as a " man of an open, generous mind, with a 



1Q4 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter good judgment and very tenacious memory." Delivering the 
important letter of General Washington, two days were passed 
in conversation with this distinguished Indian personage, and 
here Colonel Willett, for the first time, witnessed the religious 
ceremony of the black drink. The party, accompanied by 
mI^ Colonel McGillivray and his servant, took leave of the hospi- 
table mansion of Graison, and, after ten miles travel, ap- 
proached the Fish Pond Town, where, in the evening, they 
were honored with a dance by the inhabitants. They soon 
May 4 arrived at the Hickory Ground, a large town, and one of the 
residences of Colonel McGillivray. Here, it was understood 
that the Indians of Coosawda were engaged in a grand busk- 
ing for mulberries. 

It was not long before Colonel McGillivray sent out ten 
broken days, for the Chiefs of the Lower Towns to meet at 
Ositchy, to consult on public business ; and, during this time, 
Colonel Willett amused himself in riding about the vicinity. 
He visited the old French fort, " Toulouse," the remains of 
which were scarcely visible. He tarried several days at Little 
Tallase, the birth-place of McGillivray, which was also called 
the "Apple Grove," situated on the east bank of the Coosa, five 
miles above the Hickory Ground, a most delightful and well- 
m proved place. Here he fared sumptuously, on fish, veni- 
son, strawberries and mulberries. On the 12th May, the 
agent and McGillivray, with their servants, set out eastwardly, 
and arrived at the great town of Tookabatcha at four o'clock, 
in the evening, and passed the night with Mr. Curnells, the 
interpreter. Crossing the Tallapoosa, in company with their 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. IQfr 



host, they went by the house of the Tallase King, and saw a chapter 
Scotchman, named James McQueen, who had been a trader xxr * 
for sixty years, in the nation. The next day, they passed the 
residence of the Hollowing King, and reached Coweta, upon 
the Chattahooehie river, where Mr. Deresau, the interpreter, 
sheltered them for the night. Many of this numerous popula- 
tion were engaged in drinking taffai, and the night was spent in 
much noise and carousal. Passing down to Ositchy, the next 
morning, these distinguished gentlemen remained there, await- 

1790 

ing the arrival of the Chiefs, when, at 11 o'clock, A.M., Col. May 17 
Willett, the secret agent, delivered to the assembled wisdom 
of the Creek confederacy an address, the substance of which 
was, that he had been sent an immense distance, by our Great 
Chief, George Washington, to invite them to his council- 
house, at New-York, where he, with his own hand, wished to 
sign, with Colonel McGillivray, a treaty of peace and alliance. 
He stated to them that the United States wanted none of 
their lands, and that Washington would take effectual mea- 
sures to secure their territory to them, according to the treaty 
which he and Colonel McGillivray would conclude ; that the 
President was ready to promote their trade, by affording them 
means to procure goods, in a cheap and easy manner, and 
intended to perform other acts, which would promote the 
welfare and happiness of the Creek nation. Colonel Willett 
concluded his speech, by earnestly inviting them to embrace 
these terms, and to select such Chiefs as they chose, to accom- 
pany Colonel McGillivray to the great council- house of New- 
York, where Washington would make a treaty with their 



106 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Great Chief, u as strong as the hills and lasting as the 
xxi. riyers." 

Retiring for an hour from the vast assembly, whom he left 
to deliberate upon his overtures, Colonel Willett was again 
called in, when he received the following speech, from the 
Hollowing King, a fine-looking man and great orator : 

" We are glad to see you. You have come a great way, 
and, as soon as we fixed our eyes upon you, we were made 
glad. We are poor, and have not the knowledge of the 
white people. We were invited to the treaty at the Rock 
Landing. We went there. Nothing was done. We were 
disappointed, and came back with sorrow. The road to your 
great council-house is long, and the weather is hot ; but our 
beloved Chief shall go with yon, and such others as we may 
appoint. We will agree to all things which our beloved 
Chief shall do. We will count the time he is away, and. 
when he comes back, we shall be glad to see him, with a 
treaty that shall be ' as strong as the hills and lasting as the 
rivers.' May you be preserved from every evil." 

Having negotiated this business, to the mutual satisfaction 
of himself and the warrior, Colonel Willett returned to Cow- 
eta that evening, and the next morning assumed the retro- 
grade march for Tookabatcha, where he arrived on the 21st, 
partook of the ceremony of the black drink, and received a 
speech from the venerable White Lieutenant, as the voice of 
the Upper Creeks, breathing sentiments similar to those deli- 
vered at Ositchy. Late in the evening of the next day, 
McGillivray and the agent arrived at the Hickory Ground. 



1790 
May 17 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. |Q>j 

From this place Colonel Willett despatched a letter to the chapter 
Secretary of War, by the hands of Mr. Carey, the Cherokee XXI * 
interpreter. 

Finally, Colonel McGillivray, with his nephew and two 
servants, accompanied by the secret agent, set ont from Little j^JJj 
Tallase, for New- York. They were all mounted on horseback, 
and accompanied by several pack-horses. Taking a north- 
eastern direction through the wilderness, they arrived at the 
Stone Mountain, in the present State of Georgia, and were 
there joined by the Coweta and Cusseta Chiefs. Reaching 
the house of General Pickens, the party received the warmest 
welcome, and, after being joined by the Tallase King, Chin- 
nobe, the "great Natchez warrior," and other Chiefs, the ex- 
pedition again set out, with three wagons, in which rode 
twenty-six warriors, while four were on horseback. Colonel 
McGillivray and suite were mounted on horses, and the agent 
rode in a sulkey. At Guildford C. H., North-Carolina, a 
truly affecting scene occurred. Some years before this, the 
Creeks had killed a man, named Brown, and captured his June 
wife and children, whom they brought to the nation. Colo- 
nel McGillivray, moved at their unfortunate situation, re- 
deemed them from slavery, by paying the price of their 
ransom, as he had done many others, and maintained them 
at his house over a year. Mrs. Brown, hearing of the arri- 
val of Colonel McGillivray, rushed through the large assem- 
bly at the court-house, and, with a flood of tears, almost 
overpowered him with expressions of admiration of his cha- 
racter, and gratitude for his preservation of her life, and that 
6* 



lQg THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter of her children, while alone in a land of savages. The party- 
passed through Richmond and Fredericksburg, where they 
were treated with much kindness, while Colonel McGillivray 
was received by the most prominent citizens with distin- 
T 1 ' 90 17 guished consideration. Arriving at Philadelphia, Colonel 
Willett and his party were there entertained, for three days, 
in a manner which could not fail to please. Entering a sloop 
at Elizabethtown Point, they landed in New- York, where the 
Tammany Society, in the full dress of their order, received 
them in splendor, marched them up Wall street, by the 
Federal Hall, where Congress was then in session, and, next, 
to the house of the President, to whom they were introduced 
with much pomp and ceremony. Then, visiting the Minister 
of War, and Governor Clinton, a sumptuous and elegant 
entertainment, at the City Tavern, finished the day.* 

When it became known that McGillivray had departed for 
New-York, great excitement arose in Florida and Louisiana. 
1790 A correspondence began with the Captain-General at Havana, 
and ending by his despatching, from East Florida, an agent, 
with a large sum of money, to New- York, ostensibly to buy 
flour, but really to embarrass the negotiations with the Creeks. 
Washington, apprised of the presence of this officer, had his 
movements so closely observed, that the object of his mission 
was defeated. 

Washington, communicating with the Senate, advised that 

* A Narrative of the Military Actions of Colonel Marinus Willett, 
pp. 95-113. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



109 



the negotiations with McGillivray should be conducted infor- chapter 
mally, as all the overtures hitherto offered by the commis- 
sioners had been rejected. Embarrassments existed, because 
the commerce of the Creeks was in the hands of a British 
company, who made their importations from England, into 1790 
Spanish ports. It was necessary that it should be diverted 
into American channels ; but McGillivray's treaty, at Pensa- 
cola, in 1*784, could not be disregarded, without a great breach 
of faith and morals on his part. 

But rinding, from the informal intercourse with them, that 
McGillivray and the Chiefs were ready to treat, upon ad- 
vantageous terms, Henry Knox was appointed to negotiate 
with them, and a treaty was concluded by him, on the part August 7 
of the United States, and, on the other side, by McGillivray 
and the delegation, representing the whole Creek nation. It sti- 
pulated that a permanent peace should be established between 
the Creeks and the citizens of the United States ; that the Creeks 
and Seminoles should be under the protection, solely, of the 
American government, and that they should not make treaties 
with any State, or the individuals of any State ; that they 
should surrender, at Rock Landing, white prisoners and ne- 
groes, taken during the recent hostilities, in default of which, 
the Governor of Georgia was authorized to send persons in 
the nation, to claim and demand them ; that the boundary 
line between the Creeks and Georgia was to be that claimed 
by the latter, in the treaties which she had made at Augusta 
and Shoulderbone. 

Thus did Alexander McGillivray at last surrender the Oco- 



HQ THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 

chapter nee lands, about which so much blood had been shed, and so 
much negotiation wasted. And for what ? For fifteen hundred 
dollars, to be paid annually to the Creek nation, with also some 
goods, to be distributed among the Indians, which were then in 
the warehouses of Augusta. The Federal Government also gua- 
ranteed to them their territory free from future encroachments.* 
Did the proud, the powerful, the shrewd Alexander Mc- 
1790 Gillivray surrender these valuable lands for the pitiful amount: 
already mentioned ? . Ah ! — but the reader must not be too 
fast. There was a secret treaty between him and Washing- 
ton, which now, for the first time, comes to light, in history. 
It provided that, after two years from date, the commerce of 
the Creek nation should be carried on through the ports of 
the United States, and, in the meantime, through the pre- 
sent channels ; that the Chiefs of the Ocfuskees, Tookabatchas, 
Tallases, Cowetas, Cussetas, and the Seminole nation, should 
be paid annually, by the United States, one hundred dollars 
each, and be furnished with handsome medals; that Alexan- 
der McGillivray should be constituted agent of the United 

States, WITH THE RANK OF BRIGADIER GENERAL, AND THE 
PAY OF TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER ANNUM ! that the 

United States should feed, clothe and educate Creek youth at 
the North, not exceeding four at one time. 

Thus Colonel McGillivray secured to himself new honors, 
and a good salary, by a secret treaty, which left him in a 
position to return home and to intrigue with Spain. Even 

* American State Papers, Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 81-82. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 



111 



in the presence of* Washington and his able- cabinet, the chapter 
Chieftain pushed hard for favorable terms, and received them.* XXI * 

Receiving half of his salary in advance, McGillivray left Au 17 u° tl8 
New- York, with the Chiefs, for the bright waters of the Ala- 
bama. A veil of silence covers the acts of the august Chief- 
tain, for several months, and we hear nothing more of him, 
until he was visited, in the nation, by Lieutenant Heth, who 

bore with him two thousand nine hundred dollars, in gold, 

» 
the balance due to the Chiefs, agreeably to the treaty. He 

brought this money, on pack-horses, from New- York, around 

by Virginia and East Tennessee. Heth was instructed to 

remain with McGillivray a long time, and endeavor to get 

him to carry out the provisions of the treat}-, in regard to 

the restoration of prisoners and negroes, and the running of 

the line between the Creeks and Georgians. 

* I am indebted to Colonel John A. Campbell., an eminent lawyer 
of Mobile, and to Mr. Alfred Hennen, a distinguished member of the 
New-Orleans bar, for placing in my hands papers filed in the District 
Court of Louisiana, containing the letters of Alex. McGillivray to 
Panton, dated at Little Tallasc, September 20th, 1788, and August 
10th, 1789, which have been copied, in this History, at length. I also 
found, among this file, the " secret treaty," written upon sheep-skin, 
and signed by Washington, Knox, McGillivray and (he Chiefs. A 
celebrated law-suit, brought in this court, by Johnson and other claim- 
ants, under the heirs of McGillivray vs. the heirs of Panton, was the 
means of the preservation of these important historical papers. 



;Q2 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE FIRST YAZOO SALE — BOWLES, THE 
FREEBOOTER. 

chapter Georgia claimed, under a charter of Charles II., all the 
XXI1 ' territory, from the Savannah to the Mississippi river, lying 
between 31° and 35°. She had, as earty as February, 1785, 
established, by legislative enactment, the county of Bourbon, 
embracing the settlements along the Mississippi, above and 
below Natchez ; but the occupation of this country by the 
Spanish government prevented its occupation and settlement. 

Governor Telfair approved an act of the General Assembly, 
at Savannah, which authorized a conditional sale of the larger 
portion of this wild domain, for the purpose of peopling it, 
and enriching the treasury of the State. For a little upwards 
of sixty thousand dollars, rive million of acres, now embracing 
the territory of the middle counties of Mississippi, were sold 
to a " South-Carolina Yazoo Company." 

Seven millions of acres, now embracing the territory of the 
northern counties of Mississippi, were sold to the " Virginia 
Yazoo Company," for a little over ninety-three thousand dol- 
lars. 



1789 
December 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



113 



Three million, five hundred thousand acres, now embracing chapter 
the territory of the northern counties of Alabama, were sold xxn ' 
for something over forty-six thousand dollars, to the " Ten- 
nessee Company." 

Spain claimed much of this territory, by conquests, made 
towards the close of the revolutionary war, as we have al- 
ready seen, and that power and the United States were now De Jg„ ber 
negotiating, to settle the boundaries ; but Georgia took the 
matter into her own hands, as she has ever done with whatever 
concerned her, and as she always will do, as long as her soil 
is inhabited by its present enterprising, brave and restless 
population. 

Washington, becoming alarmed at the collision which he 
supposed would take place between the Federal Government, 
Georgia, Spain and the Indians, in consequence of this extra- 
ordinary sale of territory, issued a proclamation against the August 25 
whole enterprise. But the " Tennessee Company " heeded 
him not. Its head and front, Zachariah Coxe, with a number 

1791 

of his friends, floated down, on flat-boats, from East Tennessee May 
to the Muscle Shoals. Here, upon an island, they built a 
block-house, and other works of defence, intending to sell out 
much of the best lands, north and south of the river. But 
the Cherokees, under the Chief, Class, probably set forward by 
Governor Blount, of Tennessee, who was the active agent of 
Washington, advanced upon this establishment, drove Coxe 
and his adherents out of the block-house, and consumed it by 
fire. Other efforts were afterwards made to colonize this 



114 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter region ; but were defeated by the opposition of the Chickasaws, 
5XI1, the Cherokees, and the Federal Government* 

The " South-Carolina Yazoo Company " also attempted to 
colonize their lands, and, for that purpose, constituted Dr. 
James O'Fallan their agent-general, who went to Kentucky, 
raised troops, and issued commissions, in an illegal manner, 
with the design of taking the Natchez country from the 
Spaniards, and peopling the territory. At the same time. 
Edmund Phelan, the sub-agent of the company, was piloted 

1790 through the Creek and Choctaw country, to Natchez, by an 
old Indian countryman, named Thomas Basket, who was to 
have been their interpreter. But Washington caused O'Fal- 
lan to be arrested, and ordered General St. Clair to put down, 
by military force, all attempts to colonize the Natchez coun- 
try, against which the Spanish Minister had vehemently remon- 
strated. Great exeitement existed ; Washington was much 
embarrassed and much abused. 

The "Virginia Yazoo Company'' made no attempts to set- 
tle the lands which they had purchased. 

These companies all failed to meet the payments due Geor- 
gia for these lands, and that State, by subsequent enactments, 

1791 rescinded the whole bargain, having, in the meantime, with- 
held grants from the purchasers, which was a condition of 
sale, until the debt was fully discharged. %A. great deal of 
recrimination and abuse passed between the authorities of 

* Haywood's History of Tennessee, pp. 249-256. Indian Affairs, 
vol. 1, p. 115. 



•HE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ;Q5 



Georgia and these companies, and the people who had inno- chapter 



cently suffered, in fitting- out private enterprises, to settle the 
new region. So ended the first Yazoo sale, by the legislature 
of Georgia. An account of another, and a more important 
and extensive one, will hereafter be introduced.* 

A Quaker of Pennsylvania, named Andrew Ellicott, ap- 
pointed by the Federal Government to run the line between 
the Creeks and Georgians, arrived at Rock Landing, upon the 
Oconee, in company with James Seagrove, an Irishman, who 
was appointed Superintendent of the Creek nation. At this 
place the government erected a strong fort, and threw 
into it a large garrison. McGillivray was constantly urged, 
from this point, to cause the Indians to consent to the running 
of the boundary line, and to assist in its execution ; but the 
Chieftain delayed, and threw all the blame upon the hostile 
efforts of an extraordinary man, who must now be introduced 
to the reader. 

William Augustus Bowles, a native of Maryland, at the 
age of fourteen, entered the British army, as a foot soldier, 
and, after a year's sen ice against his countrymen, sailed with 
a British regiment to Jamaica, in 1777, as an ensign, and, 
from thence, went to Pensacola. Here he was deprived of 
his rank, for insubordination. Disgusted with military dis- 
cipline, and fond of a roving life, he contemptuously flung 
his uniform into the sea, and left Pensacola, in company with 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 116-117. Public Lands, vol. 1, pp. 
120-121-163. 



XXII. 



1791 
May 



116 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter some Creeks. He lived upon the Tallapoosa for several years, 
xxn * and acquired the Muscogee language to great perfection. He 
visited the Lower Towns, and there married the daughter of a 
Chief. His elegant and commanding form, tine address, 
beautiful countenance of varied expression, his exalted genius, 
daring and intrepidity, all connected with a mind wholly de- 
based and unprincipled, eminently fitted him to sway the bad 
Indians and worse traders among whom he lived. 

Bowles led a party of Creeks to Pensacola, in 1781, and 
assisted General Campbell to defend that place from the 
attacks of Don Galvez. He went to New-York, joined a 
company of comedians, and sailed to New Providence, of the 
Bahamas. Here he alternately acted upon the stage, and 
painted portraits, for which he had taste and genius. Lord 
Dunmore was then the Governor of the Bahamas. Panton, 
Leslie & Co. despatched to John Forbes, one of their asso- 
ciates, living at New Providence, a schooner, in which were six 
thousand piastres. Lord Dunmore seized upon this money, 
as contraband property. Panton instituted a complaint to 
the British Court, when the money was ordered to be re- 
turned. Dunmore ever afterwards hated Panton and his co- 
partners. He selected Bowles as an agent, to establish a 
commercial house upon the Chattahoochie, which would check 
the prosperous commerce of these merchants. 1 »owles short- 
ly appeared among the Lower Creeks, and threw the weight 
of his influence against Panton, and against McGillivray and 
the Georgians, all of whom he despised. But Milfort was 
sent to the Chattahoochie, with an order for Bowles to leave 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



117 



the nation in twenty-four hours, on penalty of losing his chapter 
ears. He fled to New Providence, and, from thence, was XXIL 
sent to England, by Dunmore, in company with a delegation 
of Creeks, Seminoles and Cherokees, to enlist the English • 

government in the cause of these nations, by repelling Ame- 
rican ao-oression. The British Court treated him with kind- 
ness, and heaped upon him valuable presents. He soon 
returned to New Providence, and began a piratical war upon 
the coasting- vessels of Panton, having taught his warriors to 
navigate the Gulf. He captured some of these vessels, 
laden with arms and ammunition, run them up in bayous, 
where he and an abandoned set of white men from the pri- 
sons of London, together with hosts of savages, engaged in 
protracted debaucheries, and, day and night, made the woods 
echo with horrid oaths and panther screams. Panton's boxes 
of merchandize were torn open, distributed among the In- 
dians, and carried to all parts of the nation. Such piratical 
successes soon gave him popularity in the Creek country.* 
He now boldly advanced to the heart of it, denounced Gene- 
ral McGillivray as a traitor to his people, and sought to over- 
throw him and place himself in power. He had many bad 179J 
men, of influence with the Indians, who endeavored to stir up 
rebellion. The most conspicuous of these were Willbanks, a 
native of New-York and a refugee tory, and a half-breed 
Cherokee named Moses Price. His emissaries contended that 

* Du Lac's Voyage dans les deaux Louisianes, in 1801, 1802, 1803, 
pp. 458-460. Milfort's Sejonrn dans le nation Creek, pp. 116-124. 



11$ THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter neither the Americans nor Spaniards had any right to control 
XXIL the Indians, for that England had not ceded any of their 
country to either power, and that General McGillivray had 
endeavored to sell his people, first to Spain, and next, to the 
Federal < iovernment. Indeed, at this period, McGillivray, for 
the first time in his life, began to lose the confidence of many 
of the Chiefs and common Indians, who were indignant 
at the provisions of the New-York treaty, which they openly 
disavowed. The Spanish authorities were angry with him, 
and Panton was deceived by him. Bowles even bearded him 
in his very den. All this time, the Federal Government was 
annoying him with urgent solicitations to comply with the 
treaty. Truly, one might suppose that General McGillivray 
was an unhappy man, and was soon to fall from his high 
„ 179 \ position. At length lie departed for New-Orleans, when 

November 1 ° i 

Bowles and his emissaries exultingly declared that he had 
fled, never again to show his face upon the Coosa. He went 
frequently to New-Orleans, Mobile and Pensacola, during the 
winter, and was treated with great attention by (he Spanish 
authorities, notwithstanding the treaty of New- York. The 
secret one, of course, they knew nothing of, nor did Panton. 
He professed to be sick of his trip to New- York, and request- 
ed not to be given the title of General. Here he arranged 
for the capture of Bowles, and soon the freebooter was brought 
to New-< Orleans in chains, and from thence sent to Madrid, in 
Spain, where we must leave him for the present. 

It was not long before measures we re adopted, to expel the 
American inhabitants, principally traders, from the Creek 



THK SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. H§ 

nation. Governor Carondelet decreed that they were all to'take chapter 
the Spanish oath of allegiance, and " fight for the King, from xxn - 

1792 

the head waters of the Alabama to the sea." James Leonard, j un e 
who had recently arrived at Tensaw, refusing to take the oath, 
was stripped of his property, and, while, arrangements were 
making to send him to Moro Castle, in Havana, he made his 
escape to Rock Landing, upon the distant Oconee. 

McGiliivray returned to the banks of the Coosa, still in 
power and authority. It was suspected that he had intrigued 
with the Spanish authorities. Not long afterwards, one Cap- 
tain Don Pedro Oliver, who was a Frenchman, but wore the 
Spanish military uniform, made his appearance in the nation, 
and was stationed at the Hickory Ground, upon the Coosa. 
His pay was one hundred dollars a month, and he was accom- 
panied by an interpreter, named Antonio. These things 
looked very suspicious to the federal agents upon the Oconee. 
It was believed by many that General McGiliivray did not 
openly act against the American government, but that he 
was doing it secretly, through Captain Oliver and others. It 
was certain that, upon the representations of Carondelet to 
the Court of Spain, respecting the treaty of New- York, and 
the remonstrances of Panton to that power, in regard to its 
neglect of the Chieftain, his Catholic Majesty made McGilii- 
vray Superintendent-General of the Creek nation, with an 
annual salary of two thousand dollars ! In July, to this 1792 
amount was added a salary of fifteen hundred dollars, by the 
same power.* He was, at this time, the agent of Spain, 

* Papers filed in the District Court of Louisiana. 



120 THE SPNIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter with a salary of thirty-five hundred dollars, the agent of the 
xxii. United States, with a salary of twelve hundred dollars, the 
co-partner of Panton, and the Emperor of the Creek and Semi- 
nole nations. He was almost unrivalled in intrigue, and we 
doubt if Alabama has ever produced, or ever will produce, a 
man of greater ability.* We wish we could defend his con- 
duct, with a clear conscience, but we cannot. It was emi- 
nent for treachery, intrigue, and selfish aggrandizement. How- 
ever he may have been wronged by the Americans, he ought 
to have acted in good faith with them, after he had made the 
1792 treaty with Washington. But McGillivray Avas like many 
ambitious and unscrupulous Americans of our day, who view 
politics as a trade. But, notwithstanding he displayed emi- 
nent selfishness, in his relation towards these rival powers, he 
was generous to the distressed, whom he always sheltered and 
fed, and protected from the brutalities of his red brethren. 
He had many noble traits, and not the least of which was his 
unbounded hospitality to friends and foes. 

During the summer and fall of 1792, General McGillivray 
secretly caused large meetings to be held, over the Creek and 
Cherokee nations, at which he appeared to be only a visitor, 
while Panton and Captain Oliver, in speeches, forbid the 
running of the line between them and the Georgians, in the 
name of the King of Spain, and decreed that no American 

* I have only introduced a few of McGillivray's letters, to show the 
order of his mind. The American State Papers contain many of hip 
ablest letters, addressed to Congress and to the Secretary of War. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



121 



trader should enter the nation. Governor Carondelet was also chapter 
active in endeavoring to defeat the provisions of the New- York XXII « 
treaty. He sent to the Creek nation a large body of bloody 
Shawnees, armed and equipped, who took up their abode at 
Souvanoga, upon the Tallapoosa. McGillivray moved his ne- 
groes to Little river, gave up his house to Captain Oliver, whom 
he had so well established in the affections of his people, and was 
gone, a long time, to New-Orleans and Pensacola. The Span- 
iards not only had in view the prevention of the advancement 
of the Americans on the east, but determined to oppose 
the settlements upon the Mississippi ; to effect all of which, 
they attempted to unite the four nations of Indians on their 
side. They strengthened all their forts, and authorized Captain 
John Linder, of Tensaw, and other active partizans, to raise 
volunteers. Carondelet gave Richard Finnelson and Joseph 
Durque passports, to go through the Spanish posts, to the 1792 
Cherokee nation, as emissaries, to incite those Indians to make 
war upon the Cumberland people. John Watts, a half-breed 
of Willstown, was also an active agent. There was, suddenly, 
great excitement produced over the whole Indian country. 
One Chief declared, at Willstown,* that he had taken the 
lives of three hundred Americans, but that now he intended 

* Willstown, named for a half-breed Chief, called Red Head Will, 
whose father was a British officer, was an important Cherokee village. 
The grave of Red Head Will is within two hundred yards of the resi- • 
dence of Jesse G. Beeson, who owns the entire site of Willstown, situa- 
ted in Little Wills' Valley, DeKalb county, Alabama. 

VOL. it. 7 



122 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter to " drink, his till of blood." The Cumberland people fell 
xxii. victims on all sides, while the settlers upon the frontiers of 
Georgia shared the same fate. During all this time, McGilli- 
vray and the Federal authorities at Rock Landing were en- 
gaged in fruitless correspondence — the former professing his 
willingness to carry out the provisions of the New- York treaty, 
but never doing it. Everything conspired to defeat the hopes 
of Washington. Even Captain Oliver had become intimate 
with Willbank*, and the rest of the adherents of Bowles, and 
used them against the American interests. McGillivray also 
carried on a correspondence with the Secretary of War, in 
which he displayed his usual powers of diplomacy.* 

•• Indian Affairs, vol. 1 , F p. 305-315-288-290-432. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



123 



CHAPTER XXIII. . 

SINGULAR INHABITANTS OF ALABAMA. 

The territory now called Alabama was but sparsely settled chapter 
in 1792, except by the natives, and tliey occupied only some xxiii. 
of the principal water-courses. Fort Charlotte, at Mobile, 17go 
was garrisoned with Spanish troops. The old French "Tom- 
becbe," which, in Spanish times, was called Fort Confedera- 
tion, contained also a Spanish garrison. The English trading- 
post, near the present Stockton, then called Tensaw, was re- 
paired and occupied. A Spanish garrison occupied Fort St. 
Stephens, which was built upon a bluff on the Tombigby, 
called, by the Choctaws, Hobuckintopa. A considerable Spa- 
nish garrison held the fortress at Pensacola. West Florida 
and Louisiana were governed by the Captain-General, at Ha- 
vana. The next person in authority was the Governor of 
Louisiana, to whom all the commandants of the posts in Ala- 
bama and Mississippi were subordinate. The whole territory 
of Alabama was then an immense wilderness, with American 
trading-posts on the east, upon the Oconee, and those of Spain 
upon the south and west, while it was uninhabited by whites, 
as far as the distant Cumberland settlements, on the north. 



124 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER 
XXIII. 



1792 



1791 
February 



The most populous settlement, with the exception of Mo- 
bile, was upon the Tensaw river and lake of that name. It 
was composed of both wings and royalists. The latter had 
been driven from Georgia and the Carolinas. Added to these, 
were men, sui generis, appropriately called old Indian coun- 
trymen, who had spent much of their lives in Indian com- 
merce. The most conspicuous and wealthy inhabitant of this 
neighborhood was Captain John Linder, a native of the Can- 
ton of Berne," in Switzerland. He resided many years in 
Charleston, as a British engineer and surveyor. There Gene- 
ral McGillivray became acquainted with him, and, during the 
revolution, assisted in bringing here his family and large ne- 
gro property. 

In February, 1791, a party of emigrants, consisting of 
Colonel Thomas Kimbil, John Barnett, Robert Sheffield, Bar- 
ton Hannon, and Mounger, with a wife and children, 

three of whom were grown, set out from Georgia, for the 
Tombigby. Entering the Creek nation, one of the children 
was injured by a fall, which compelled the elder Mounger and 
his younger family to stop upon the trail. They were after- 
wards robbed, by the Indians, of everything they possessed, 
and had to make their way back to Georgia on foot. . The 
three young Moungers, and the other emigrants, continued to 
the Tensaw, passing the creeks and rivers upon rafts. They 
found, upon their arrival at Tensaw, the Halls, Byrnes, Mims, 
Killcreas', Steadhams, Easlies, Linders and others. Crossing 
the Alabama and Tombigby upon rafts, they found, residing 
below Mcintosh Bluff, the Bates', Lawrences and Powells. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^25 

Above there, on the Tombigby, they discovered the Danleys, chapter 
Wheets, Johnsons, McGrews, Hockets, Freelands, Talleys and XXIIX * 
Bakers. Among these few people, Colonel Kirabil and his 
little party established themselves, and began the cultivation 

1791 

of the soil with their horses, upon the backs of which they March 
had brought a few axes and ploughs. 

The garrison at St. Stephens was composed of one compa- 
ny, commanded by Captain Fernando Lisora. The block- 
house, the residence of the commandant, and the church, 
were good buildings, of frame-work, clay and plaster. The 
other houses were small, and covered with cypress bark. All 
the inhabitants of this place, and of the country, were re- 
quired to labor so many days upon the public works, to take 
the oath of allegiance, and to assist in repelling the depreda- 
tions of the Creeks, who stole horses and other property. ' 1792 
Some French farmers, also, lived upon this river, who dwelt 
in houses made almost entirely of clay, while those of the^ 
Americans were constructed of small poles, in the rudest 
manner. They all cultivated indigo, which was worth two 
dollars and fifty cents per pound. The burning of tar en- 
gaged much of the time of the Spaniards, still lower down. 

Upon Little river, dividing the modern counties of Bald- 1792 
win and Monroe, lived many intelligent and wealthy people, 
whose blood was a mixture of white and Indian. This colony 
was formed at an early period, for the benefit of their large 
stocks of cattle, for the wild grass and cane were here never 
killed by the frost. A most remarkable woman, a sister of 
General McGillivray, lived occasionally among these people. 



126 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Sophia McGillivray, a maiden beautiful in all respects, was 
living at her native place, upon the Coosa, when Benjamin 
Durant, a man of Huguenot blood, came from South-Caro- 
lina, to her mother's house. A youth of astonishing strength 
and activity, he had mastered all who opposed him at home. 
Being informed by the traders that a man in the Creek nation 
was his superior, he immediately set out for that region, to 
which he had long before been inclined to go. He was hand- 
some, and his complexion was almost as brown as that of the 
1792 pretty, dark-eyed Sophia, She went with him to the Hicko- 
ry Ground, only a few miles distant, where many Indians had 
collected, to see the antagonists meet, They encountered 
each other, and a tremendous fight ensued. Durant felled 
his antagonist to the ground, where he lay, for a time, insen- 
sible. The conqueror was proclaimed the champion of the 
nation. He soon married Sophia, and went to reside upon 
one of the estates of her father, the wealthy Lachlan McGil- 
livray, situated upon the Savannah river. During the siege 
of S.avannah, she was there with her father, her husband, and 
her little boy, Lachlan Durant, who is now favorably known 
to many of our modern citizens, and is yet a resident of Bald- 
, . win county. When the city was surrendered to the Ameri- 

cans^he parted from her father, amid a flood of tears, and 
set out for her native Coosa, while he, as we have seen, sailed, 
with his British friends, back to Scotland. 

Sophia Durant had an air of authority about her, equal, if 
not superior, to that of her brother, Alexander. She was 
much better acquainted with the Indian tongue, for he had 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



121 



long lived out of the nation. When, therefore, lie held coun- chapter 
cils in the vicinity of her residence, she was accustomed to XX1II « 
deliver his sentiments in a set speech, to which the Chiefs 1792 
listened with delight. Her husband became a wealthy man, 
and " Durant's Bend,"* and other places upon the Alabama, 
still preserve his memory. In the summer of 1790, while 
McGillivray was at New- York, the Creeks threatened to de- 
scend upon the Tensaw settlers, and put the whole of them 
to death. Mrs. Durant mounted ahorse, with a negro woman 
upon another, and set out from Little river, camped out at 
night, and, on the fourth day, arrived at the Hickory Ground, 1792 
whore she assembled the Chiefs, threatened them with the 
vengeance of her brother upon his return, which caused the 
arrest of the ringleaders, and put a complete stop to their 
murderous intentions. Two weeks afterwards, this energetic 
and gifted woman was delivered of twins, at the Hickory 
Ground. One of them married James Bailey, who was killed at 
the fall of Fort Minis, in 1813, and the other lived to be an 
old woman. At a later period, Mrs. Durant will again appear 
in this history. 

The territory of the present county of Montgomery con- H92 
tained a few white inhabitants, in 1792. Among others, there 
was a white woman, who had lived with her husband, at Sa- 

* The most remarkable bend upon the Alabama, embracing a large 
tract of land, lying between Montgomery and Selma, formerly the pro- 
perty of the late Honorable William Smith, and now owned by John 
Steele, of Autauga. It was cultivated by Benjamin Durant, as early or 
1786. 

7* 



12% THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter vannah. He was there a foot soldier, in one of the British 
xxiii. re gj men ts 5 but deserted from the army, when she fled with him 
to the Chattahoochie. He died at Cusseta, and his bold and 
adventurous wife continued to wander through the Creek 
nation, and finally settled in the territory of the present 
county of Montgomery, upon the eastern side of a creek, 
which still bears her name, for she was called by no other 
than that of "Milly." Here, among the Cuwalla Indians, 
she established herself, without husband, father, children, or 
even a single friend. Espousing one of the sons of the forest, 
she soon began to have comforts around her. Her stock of 
cattle became large, to which was added, in a few years, a 
large drove of ponies. For many years, Milly lived alone 
upon this creek. The trading-path, leading from Pensacola 
to Tookabatcha, passed by her house. But, at the period of 
1*792, her solitary hours were agreeably relieved by the prat- 
tle of a little white girl. In 1*790, a party of Creeks ad- 
vanced to the Georgia frontiers, and, surrounding the house 
of one Scarlet, killed him and liis wife and children. A little 
girl, named Tempey Ellis, about eight years old, the child of 
a neighbor, was in the house at the time, and, when the at- 
tack was made, she concealed herself under the bed. After 
all the family lay upon the floor, in the sleep of death, a 
warrior discovered Tempey Ellis, and, dragging her out by 
the hair, raised his hatchet to kill her; but, reflecting that 
he could possibly obtain a handsome sum for her ransom, he 
placed her on his horse, and carried her to Auttose, on the 
Tallapoosa. Here she was often beaten, and made to bring 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



129 



water from the springs. One day Milly heard that the Aut- chapter 
toses had a white girl in slavery. She immediately mounted SCXIII « 
her pony, rode to Auttose, paid ten ponies and six head of 
cattle for Tempey, and, the next day, carried this unfortunate 1/92 
child to her house. For several years she acted the part of 
a most affectionate mother. Subsequently, the child was 
delivered to Sea-grove, the Creek Agent, at St. Mary's, and 
was sent from thence to her friends in Georgia. Old Milly 
was exceedingly attached to Tempey, and gave her up with 
great reluctance.* 

Near the prairies, within a few miles of this solitary wo- 
man, lived William Gregory, a native of one of the States, 
who had resided for years among the Indians. He was now 
a stock-keeper, and lived in a cabin, which contained his 
Indian family. As far as the eye could reach, over the beau- 
tiful and gently rolling plains, his cattle and horses fed, un- 
disturbed by man or beast. It is said that William Gregory 
was a kind-hearted man, who fed the wanderer, " without 
money and without price," and who, even in a lawless land, 
possessed a heart which prompted him to be honest. 

In 1785 came, also, into this neighborhood a Jew, named 
Abram Mordecai, a native of Pennsylvania, and who es- 
tablished a trading-house at the spot where now stands the 
house of Mrs. Birch, two miles west of Line Creek. Here, 1792 

* I have conversed with Tempey Ellis. She is now a respectable 
old woman, the wife of Mr. Thomas Frizell, residing in Pike county* 
Alabama. 



130 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter also, lived James Russell, another trader, who being a tory, 
xxiii. k a( j S0U g| 1 ^ this place to be rid of whig persecution. A tory, 
named Love, and Dargan, a Dutchman and notorious horse- 
1792 thief, lived near the site of Mount Megs, where they carried on 
a small commerce. All these traders had Indian wives, ex- 
cept Mordecai, whose faithful spouse was Indian, considerably 
darkened with the blood of Ham. 

At Econchate, Red Ground, now embracing the southern 
suburbs of the city of Montgomery, lived several white tra- 
ders. Charles Weatherford established a trading-house upon 
the first eastern bluff below the confluence of the Coosa and 
Tallapoosa, and laid out the first race-paths ever known in 
East Alabama. Often would the noted horse-thief, fresh from 
the frontiers of Georgia, here, for the first time, try the speed 
of his stolen ponies. 

The most blood-thirsty, fiendish and cruel white man, that 
ever inhabited any country, was Savannah Jack, or, as he was 
1792 universally called, by this outlawed world, " Savaner Jack]' 
who lived at Souvanoga, upon the Tallapoosa. He boasted 
that he had killed so many women and children, upon the 
Cumberland and Georgia frontiers, in company with his 
town's people, that he could swim in their blood, if it was 
collected in one pool. 

Thus we see that the territory of Montgomery county, now 
the focus of so much wealth and intelligence, was then a 
wilderness, inhabited by Indians and the few singular charac- 
ters who have been named. Indeed, all over the territory of 
Alabama and Mississippi, wherever an Indian town of impor- 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI \§\ 



XXIII. 

1792 



tance was found, white traders lived. Some of them became chapter 
wealthy ; but, like all property acquired in a commerce with 
Indians, it generally left the owner, in his old age. One of 
these up-country traders, " Woccocoie Clarke," living at Woc- 
cocoie, in the modern Coosa county, transported his mer- 
chandize and skins upon seventy pack-horses. His squaw, 
who was of great assistance to him, he called Queen Anne, 
for Clarke was an Englishman. 

Besides skins, of various kinds, the traders bought up 
bees-wax, hickory-nut oil, snake-root, together with various 
medicinal barks, and transported them to Augusta and Pen- 
sacola on pack-horses, and to Mobile and New-Orleans in 
large canoes. The pack-horses used in this trade were gene- 
rally small ones, raised in the nation, but were capable of 
sustaining heavy loads and of enduring great fatigue. A 
saddle, of a peculiar shape, was first placed upon the pony. 
The load consisted of three bundles, each weighing sixty 
pounds. Two of these bundles were suspended across the 
saddle, and came down by the sides of the pony, while the 
third was deposited on top of the saddle. The whole pack 
was covered with a skin, to keep oft' the rain. Thus the 
pony sustained a load of one hundred and eighty pounds. 
Even liquids were conveyed in the same manner. TafTai, a 
mean rum, was carried on these horses, in small kegs. In- 
deed, these hardy animals transported everything for sale, and 
even poultry, of all kinds, was carried in cages, made of 
reeds, strapped upon their backs. A pack -horseman drove 
ten ponies in a lead. He used no lines, but urged them on 



^32 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter with big hickories and terrible oaths. Accustomed to their 
* XIH ' duty, they, however, seldom gave trouble, but jogged briskly 
along. The route and the stopping-places became familiar 
and, as evening approached, the little fellows quickened their 
trot, with new life and activity. "When the sun retired over 
the hills, the caravan stopped ; the packs were taken off, piled 
up in a heap, and covered with skins; the horses were belled, 
and turned out to find their food, which consisted of grass 
and young cane.. It was usually late the next morning before 
the horses were collected and packed, for no person, in an 
Indian country, is fool enough to regard time. An attack 
from the natives, upon traders, was of rare occurrence. They 
imagined that they needed the supplies which they brought 
into their country, and, regarding these singular merchants as 
their best friends, did not even rob them. A pack-horseman 
always drank taffai — it cheered him in the forest, and em- 
boldened him in distress. With a bottle slung by his saddle, 
he often indulged, while those before and behind him followed 
his custom. Those going to Pensacola and other places, 
w^ere frequently in want of the stimulant, and it was custom- 
ary for the traders, whom they met, coming from market, to 
halt, and treat, and interchange jokes. The trader who sud- 
denly rushed by a thirsty party, was long remembered, as a 
mean fellow. 

Nothing stopped these men on their journey. They swam 
all swollen creeks, and rafted over their effects or produce. 
Where they had no canoes, rivers were crossed in the same 
manner. If they reached a stream, having large cane on its 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^33 



banks, these were presently cut, ten feet long, and tied up chapter 
into bundles, about three feet in circumference, which were xxm - 
placed in the water. Across these others were laid, which m2 
formed an admirable raft, capable of sustaining great weight. 
Logs were, also, often employed in the construction of rafts. 
Guided by long grape-vines, they were generally dragged 
safely across, to the opposite side, where the wet ponies stood, 
ready to receive their packs again. Then all hands drank 
taffai, and journeyed on, with light hearts and laughing faces. 
The average travel was twenty-five miles a day. The route 
from Pensacola was a well-beaten path, leading up the coun- 
try, and across the fatal Murder Creek, and thence to within 
a few miles of the Catoma, when it diverged into several 
trails, one of which led to Tookabatcha, along the route of 
the old Federal road, the other to Montgomery and We- 
tumpka, by the Red Warrior's Bluff, now Grey's Ferry, upon 
the Tallapoosa. This trail continued to the Tennessee river.* 
Northward, there were no white settlements between the 
Alabama river aud the vicinity of Nashville. Here, in 
1792, the Creeks committed many depredations. They 
pushed their hostilities to the very doors of Nashville. They 
attacked the house of Thompson, a wealthy and respectable 
man, killed the whole family, except his interesting daughter, 

* Conversations with Abram Mordecai, James Moore, and many 
other old traders ; also conversations with Hiram Mounger, of Washing- 
ton county, Mrs. Sophia McComb, Mrs. Howse and Lachlan Durant. 
In many things, they are supported by the reports contained in Indian 
Affairs, vol. 1. 



134 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter just arrived at womanhood, whom they carried in captivity to 
Kialigee, upon the Tallapoosa, together with an amiable lady, 

1792 

named Caffrey, with her little son. The unhappy prisoners 
found, in this town, a young woman, named Sarah Fletcher, 
who had, several years before, been captured, in the Miro 
district, which was also called Cumberland district. Miss 
Thompson was ransomed by Riley, a trader, for eight hun- 
dred weight of dressed deer-skins, worth two hundred and 
sixty dollars, and was treated with kindness by her benefactor, 
and restored to her friends. Mrs. Caffrey was separated from 
her son, beaten with sticks, scratched with gar's teeth, and made 
to work in the fields. After two years, she was also carried to 
Nashville, but without her boy. The little fellow became an 
Indian in his feelings, and, when he had been in the nation 
five years, it was with difficulty that Mordecai could separate 
him from his Indian playmates, and carry him to Seagrove. 
That gentleman sent him to Governor Blount, and he finally 
reached his mother's arms. The bloody Coosawdas, who 
lived upon the Alabama, were frequently out upon the Cum- 
berland, engaged in the massacre of the settlers and the 
plunder of their effects. Captain Isaacs, the Chief of this 
town, returned, in 1792, with Elizabeth Baker, a young lady 
from Cumberland. How miserable and lonely must have 
been the journey, with these sanguinary warriors, who bore 
the scalps of her father, mother, brothers and sisters, daily 
suspended upon poles, before her eyes. When she arrived 
in Coosawda, the savages hung their trophies upon the coun- 
cil-house, and danced around them with exulting shouts. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^35 

But she found a friend in Charles Weatherford, who lived chapter 
across the river. He ransomed Miss Baker, and placed, her 
in charge of his wife, Sehoy, the half-sister of General McGil- 
livray, and the mother of the celebrated William Weather- 
ford, who will figure in this history hereafter. The unfortu- 
nate captive ultimately reached her friends. It would be an 
endless task, to enumerate all the instances of murder and cap- 
tivity which occurred upon the frontiers of Georgia and Ten- 
nessee.* 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 431-433-270-274-634. 



1 3(3 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

DEATp OF McGILLIVRAY— BLOODY SCENES. 

chapter The Spanish authorities of Louisiana and the Floridas were 
lv * accused of producing the bloody scenes, to which allusion was 
made in our last chapter. Great jealousies and difficulties ex- 
isted between them and the south-western people of the United 
States, and even between them and the Federal Government. 
John Jay, on the part of the latter, and Don Guardoqui, repre- 
senting Spain, began a correspondence at New- York, then the 
seat of the Federal Government, as early as 1*785, for the pur- 
pose of settling the matters in dispute. Jay insisted upon the 
right of the people of the Union, now fast settling upon the head 
branches of the Tennessee, the Cumberland and the Ohio, to 
navigate the Mississippi, to the Gulf, with their commerce, 
free of duty, and also the right to occupy, exclusively, all the 
territory east of that river, as low down as the line of 31°, 
all of which, he contended, was consistent with our treaty 
with England, made in 1 782. Guardoqui resisted these claims, 
with great show of reason. He contended that Don Galvez, 
in 1780, by his victories, took from England, Mobile, Baton 
Rouge, and Fort Panmure, at Natchez, with all their depen- 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. J 37 

dencies ; that, at the same time, Captains Parre and Villars, chapter 
with Spanish troops, took formal possession of the English XXIV * 
posts on the Upper Mississippi, east of that river, one of 
which was situated two hundred and twenty-two leagues 
above St. Louis ; that, in 1781, Don Galvez completed these 
conquests, by the reduction of Pensacola ; that the territories 
now in dispute were, at the time of the signing of the treaty 
between England and the United States, solely in the occupa- 
tion of Spain, and that England had no right to negotiate in re- 
gard to them, and, in fact, did not really do so, but rather 
" tacitly left safe the territorial rights of His Catholic Majesty." 
These positions were met by Jay, by a reference to the treaty 
which Spain made with England, seven weeks after the latter 
had made the one with us. In the eighth article, Spain agreed 
to restore, without compensation, all the English territories con- 
quered by her, except the Floridas, the northern limit of which, 
he asserted, was ,31° ; that Spain was bound, by this article, 
to have delivered up to England (who. was to deliver to the 
United States) all the territory claimed by Georgia, from the 
Chattahoochie to the Mississippi, between 31° and 35°. But 
there was the rub. Which was the northern boundary of 
Spanish West Florida ? We have impartially examined this 
subject. The charter of Charles II., to the lords proprietors 
of South-Carolina, under which Georgia claimed all the pre- 
sent States of Alabama and Mississippi, that monarch had no 
right to make. The territory of these States was discovered 
(to say nothing of the conquest of De Soto) by the French, 
under Marquette and La Salle, and then by Iberville. Ala- 



138 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



xxiv. 



chatter bama and Mississippi were immediately occupied by France. 
That power continued to hold possession for sixty-two years. 
We have seen that she did not surrender these territories to 
England until 1763. These territories were occupied, then, 
by England, from 1*763 until 1780 or 1781, when they fell, 
by conquest, into the hands of Spain, who immediately occu- 
pied them with her troops, and extended over them her 
government. Well, now, where was the just claim of the 
United States for Georgia ? Did England have any right to 
transfer to us, in a treaty, territories of which she had three 
years before been deprived, by Spanish conquest ? Nay, Eng 
land not only had no right to do that, but she admitted she 
had no right, when, seven weeks afterwards, she concluded a 
treaty with Spain, and confirmed to her West Florida, the 
British northern line of which was 32° 28 ', and not 3 1 °, as con- 
tended for by Jefferson, Jay, and various American historians. 
The negotiation between Guardoqui and Jay resulted in 
nothing, and the navigation of the Lower Mississippi remained 
closed against American citizens. In the meantime, Spain 
became alarmed. The treaty with McGillivray, at New-York, 
and the movements of the first Yazoo companies, aroused her. 
She asked for a renewal of negotiations. The President re- 
sponded, by sending to Madrid, Carmichael and Short, who 
entered into negotiations once more with Guardoqui, who had 
been recalled to Spain, and was then Secretary of Foreign 
Affairs.* After much correspondence, in which both powers 

* American State Papers, Bo?ton edition, vol. 10, pp. 131-137 ; also 
Foreign Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 252-255. 



1792 
March 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^39 



frequently accused each other of improper interference with chapter 



the Indians inhabiting the disputed region, over whom they 
each exclusively claimed the superintendence, the negotiations 
terminated, without any arrangement satisfactory to us. All 
that Spain would admit, was the probability of her ultimately 
allowing the northern boundary of her West Florida posses- 
sions to be the line of 32° 28 r , while she was also disposed 
to allow the establishment of a warehouse at the inouth of 
the Yazoo, in which American citizens could deposit their 
produce, from their own boats, brought down the Mississippi. 
These productions were then to be taken to New-Orleans in 
Spanish boats, and sold or exported, subject to Spanish du- 
ties.* All this time, the agents of Spain, near the Federal 
Government, were constantly annoying Jefferson, the Secre- 
tary, with a series of complaints against Governor Blount, of 
Tennessee, and Seagrove, the Creek Agent, which were an- 
swered by similar complaints against the Spaniards, on the 
part of the latter. Much ill-feeling was elicited between 
these parties, while the people of Georgia were perfectly ram- 
pant, censuring the Federal authorities for the weakness, irre- 
solution and tardiness, displayed in conducting the negotia- 
tions. They proclaimed that, if the United States much 
longer neglected to drive the Spaniards from their territory, 
they would undertake it themselves. The horizon of this 
vast Indian wilderness was still further darkened, by the in- 
cessant border warfare between the Indians and the frontier 

* American State Papers, Boston edition, vol. 10, pp. 159-162. 



xxiv. 



April 



140 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Americans.* Spain assumed very high and unwarrantable 
xxiv. grounds, in one respect. She even opposed the running of 
the line around the Oconee lands, and it was made the sub- 
ject of remonstrance to the Federal Government. She claimed 
a surveillance over the affairs of the Creeks, by her treaty 
with them, at Pensacola, and avowed her determination to 
protect them against the encroachments of the Georgians. 
As none of the Oconee territory lay within the limits of West 
Florida, Spain certainly stepped beyond reason, in seeking a 
quarrel with the Americans about it. 

General McGillivray continued, to make visits to Governor 
Carondelet. In returning from New-Orleans, late in the 
summer of 1*792, a violent fever detained him long in Mobile. 
Recovering, he went to Little Tallase, where he wrote his last 
letter to Major Seagrove. He appeared to deplore the un- 
happy disturbances which existed, and ascribed them to the 
interference of the Spaniards with our affairs. He had often 
responded to the letters of the Secretary of War, in relation 
to carrying out the provisions of the New- York treaty, and, 
several times, assured him that he had explained that instru- 
ment frequently, to the Chiefs, and had urged them to com- 
ply, but that the Spanish influence had defeated his recom- 
mendations. In one of his letters, he says to the Secretary : 
" You will recollect, sir, that I had great objection to making 
the south fork of the Oconee the limit, and, when you in- 
sisted so much, I candidly told you that it might be made an 

* American State Papers, Boston edition, vol. 10, pp. 185-186. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



141 



article, but I could not pledge myself to get it confirmed, or chapter 
that of the restoration of the negro property, which had so 
often changed owners." 

But this remarkable man was fast approaching dissolution. 
He had long been afflicted, and was always of a delicate con- 
stitution. He spent the winter upon Little river, which now 1792 and 1793 
divides the counties of Monroe and Baldwin. The account 
of his death is presented in the language of the great mer- 
chant, William Panton, in a letter, dated Pensacola, April 
10th, 1*794, and addressed to Lachlan McGillivray, the father 
of the Chieftain, who was, at that time, still alive, at Dunma- 
glass, Scotland. 

u * * * Your son, sir, was a man that I esteemed 
greatly. I was perfectly convinced that our regard for each 
other was mutual. It so happened, that we had an interest 
in serving each other, which first brought us together, and, 
the longer we were acquainted, the stronger was our friend- 
ship. 

" I found him deserted by the British, without pay, without 
money, without friends, and without property, saving a few 
negroes, and he and his nation threatened with destruction by 
the Georgians, unless they agreed to cede them the better 
part of their country. I had the good fortune to point out a 
mode by which he could save them all, and it succeeded 
beyond expectation. 

" * * * He died on the 17th February, 1793, of com- 
plicated disorders — of inflamed lungs and the gout on his sto- 
mach. He was taken ill on the path, coming from his cow- 
vol. 11. 8 



^42 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter pen, on Little river, where one of his wives, Joseph Curnell's 

XXIV 

daughter, resided, and died eight days after his arrival here. 
No pains, no attention, no cost was spared, to save the life of 
my friend ; but fate would have it otherwise, and he breathed 
his last in my arms. 

u * % % jj e ^j ec | possessed of sixty negroes, three hun- 
dred head of cattle, with a large stock of horses. 

" * * * I advised, I supported, I pushed him on, to be 
the great man. Spaniards and Americans felt his weight, and 
this enabled him to haul me after him, so as to establish this 
house with more solid privileges than, without him, I should 
have attained. This being the case, if he had lived, I meant, be- 
sides what he was owing me, to have added considerably to his 
stock of negroes. What I intended to do for the father, I 
will do for his children. This ought not to operate against 
your making that ample provision for your grand-son, and 
his two sisters, which you have it in your power to make. 
They have lately lost their mother, so that they have no 
friends, poor things, but you and me. My heart bleeds for 
them, and what I can, I will do. The boy, Alleck, is old 
enough to be sent to Scotland, to school, which I intend to 
do, next year, and then you will see him."* 

General McGillivray was interred, with masonic honors, in 
the splendid garden of William Panton, in the city of Pen- 
saeola. He was a severe loss to that gentleman, and to the 

* I found Panton's letter among the bundle of papers in the District 
Court of New-Orleans. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^43 

Spanish government. His death, among the Indians, every- chapter 

XXIV 

where, produced deep sorrow and regret. The great Chief- 
tain, who had so long been their pride, and who had elevated 
their nation, and sustained it in its trials, now lay buried in 
the sands of the Seminoles. 

General McGillivray was six feet high, spare made, and re- 
markably erect in person and carriage. His eyes were large, 
dark and piercing. His forehead was so peculiarly shaped, that 
the old Indian countrymen often spoke of it : it commenced 
expanding at his eyes, and widened considerably at the top of 
his head. It was a bold and lofty forehead. His ringers 
were long and tapering, and he wielded a pen with the great- 
est rapidity. His face was handsome, and indicative of quick 
thought and much sagacity. Unless interested in conversa- 
tion, he was disposed to be taciturn, but, even then, was po- 
lite and respectful. When a British colonel, he dressed in 
the British uniform, and when in the Spanish service, he wore 
the military dress of that country. When Washington ap- 
pointed him a brigadier-general, he sometimes wore the uni- 
form of the American army, but never when in the presence 
of the Spaniards. His usual dress was a mixture of the 
Indian and American garb. He always travelled with two 
servants, David Francis, a half-breed, and Paro, a negro, who 
saved the lives of over a hundred royalists, in 1 781, as we 
have seen. He had good houses at the Hickory Ground and 
at Little Tallase, where he entertained, free of charge, distin- 
guished government agents, and persons travelling through 
his extensive dominions. Like all other men, he had his 



144 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1793 
March 



chapter faults. He was ambitious, crafty, and rather unscrupulous ; 

XXIV. 

yet he possessed a good heart, and was polite and hospitable. 
For ability and sagacity, the reader will admit that he had 
few superiors. We have called him the Talleyrand of Ala- 
bama, Will not his political acts, but a few of which have 
been presented, for the want of space, entitle him to that 
appellation ? 

The Indian sky still remained darkened by scenes of mur- 
der and robbery. The Chehaw Creeks, upon the Flint, insti- 
gated by William Burgess, ai trader in the Spanish interest, 
plundered the store of Robert Seagrove, at Trader's Hill, 
upon the St. Mary's, killed Fleming, the clerk, and two travel- 
lers named Moffit and Upton, most cruelly beating, with sticks, 
a woman residing there, named Ann Grey. Six miles from 
the hill, they killed a family of men, women and children, 
moving in their wagons, and made prisoners a woman and 
a child, whom they reserved for greater sufferings. The in- 
habitants of the new counties of Glynn and Camden often 
felt such attacks. At the Skull Shoals, of the Oconee, Rich- 
ard Thresher, two children and a negro woman, were shot 
down, while his wife, plunging into the river, with a babe in 
her arms, received a ball in her head, turned over, and sunk 
beneath the waves. Governor Telfair determined, at once, to 
raise a large force for the invasion of the Creek country. 
Washington, at the solicitation of the Georgia delegation in 
Congress, sent to Augusta a large stand of arms and ammu- 
nition. He authorized Governor Telfair to enlist a few com- 
panies, for the protection of Georgia, but remonstrated against 



April 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI 



145 



the contemplated invasion, stating that it was unauthorized chapter 
by law, would embarrass the negotiations still pending be- 
tween the Federal agents and the Creeks, and also those 
going on with Spain, and that the enemy had only killed 
some people upon the remote frontiers. But Governor Tel- 
fair, with the true spirit of a Georgian, heeded him not, and 
resolved to " carry the war into Africa." He disdained to 
accept of the troops which the President had authorized him 
to raise, but placed General Twiggs at the head of seven hun- 
dred mounted men. That gallant officer, of revolutionary 
memory, marched to the Ockmulgee river, where a mutinous June 
spirit and the want of provisions caused a retreat. This 
abortive attempt at conquest emboldened the Creeks to new 
scenes of pillage and blood. Although mortified at the fail- 
ure of his first attempt at invasion, Governor Telfair did not 
relax in his exertions to protect the people, but constantly 
scoured the country between the Oconee and Ockmulgee, with 
a large force of mounted militia, which, for a time, stopped 
the Indian ravages. These operations again called out the re- 
monstrances of Washington, which had no effect whatever 
upon the Georgians, many of whom entertained for the Pre- 
dent the most implacable hostility, and placed his effigies 
upon pine trees, and fired guns at them. It is a very com- 
mon belief, with people of modern times, that Washington, 
during his executive career, had no enemies. He received 
as much abuse, not only in Georgia, but in various portions 
of the Union, as any of our Presidents.* 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 362-368. 



146 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Although Seagrove had been Superintendent over two 

XXIV. 

years, he had never entered the Creek nation, but had com- 
municated with the Chiefs through an honest and intelligent 
man, named Timothy Barnard, who had long resided among 

1793 

March the r ed people. At Cusseta, that gentleman met a council 
of Chiefs, the most prominent of whom were the White 
Lieutenant, John Kinnard, the Mad Dog, the Head King, and 
Alexander Curnells, representing the Upper and Lower Towns, 
who requested him to assure Seagrove that they desired to see 
him in their country, and promised to protect him while he 
remained with them. But the efforts of the agent to restore 
peace, and to procure the marking of the boundary, were 
embarrassed by the military operations of Governor Telfair, 
who assured him that his contemplated mission to the Creek 
nation would result in no good ; that his mind was made up, 
to chastise the Creeks, until they restored the white prisoners, 
the negroes, and other stolen property, and delivered up ten 
hostages from the Upper, and an equal number from the 
Lower Towns, together with thirteen principal hostiles, to be 
put to death by the people of Georgia ; that he would sub- 
mit to no treaty made with the Creeks, where Georgia agents 
were not allowed to participate. Such was the treaty of New- 
York. It is singular that this treaty, made by Washington, 
for the good of all parties concerned, should have been so 
violently opposed. The Spaniards, as was anticipated, de- 
nounced it, but it received equal opposition from the Creeks 
and Georgians. 

Notwithstanding the high grounds assumed by Governor 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



147 



Telfair, Seagrove resolved to go into the nation ; but was chapter 

XXIV. 

deterred, by information which he received, that a body of 
armed men, under Captain Peter B. Williamson/''' intended 

1793 

to intercept and prevent him, and that the Georgia troops September 21 

had destroyed Little Ocfuskee, upon the Chattahoochie, 

which resulted in the death of six Indians, while eight others 

were carried prisoners to Greensboro'. Barnard was again 

sent to the Chattahoochie, who, after a council with the 

Chiefs, returned, with another invitation for Seagrove to visit 

their country, and that, although they were much aroused 

against the Georgians for this attack upon a peaceable town, 

they imputed no blame to the Federal authorities. Finally, 

the agent set out from Fort Fidius, escorted by a military 

guard, to k ' prevent," as he wrote to the Secretary of War, 

" my being robbed by the frontier banditti, who, two days 

ago, stole ten of the horses upon which I had to carry 

goods for the Indians." Seagrove had the reputation of being 

a timid man, and of not entertaining a very high sense of 

honor. Arriving at the Ockmulgee, the escort was dismissed, 

when one hundred and thirty Indian warriors took charge of 

his person, from thence to Cusseta, upon the Chattahoochie. 

At this place, he was saluted by the Indians with the beating 

of drums and the roars of a piece of artillery. He advanced 

to Tookabatcha, the capital of the nation, which lay upon 

the west bank of the Tallapoosa. He occupied one whole November 23 

day, in a speech to a vast assembly, and, although surrounded 

* Afterwards Judge of the County Court of Lowndes, Alabama. 



148 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter by Spanish agents and enemies, lie rose above his character, 

XXIV. 

boldly pointed out the aggressions of the Creeks, and their 
faithlessness, in not complying with the New- York treaty. 

The council sat forty-eight hours, without adjournment, and 
then rose, having stipulated, on the part of the Creeks, to 
deliver to Seagrove the negroes, horses, cattle, and other pro- 
perty, taken from the Georgians during the last twelve months. 
They further agreed, to put to death two or more of the prin- 
cipals engaged in the late murders upon the frontiers. The 
Spanish agent, Captain Don Pedro Oliver, was present, and 
congratulated Seagrove upon what he was pleased to term 
his fortunate mission. 

Having remained at Tookabatcha some weeks, arranging 
his business with the Chiefs, Seagrove, one night, was at- 
tacked by the Tallase King, at the head of a party ; his house 
was plundered, and he forced to fly, for his life, to a pond, 
thick with trees and bushes. There he remained seve- 
ral hours, up to his waist in cold water, expecting, every mo- 
ment, to be scented out, dragged forth, and put to death. In 
the morning the Chiefs interposed, pacified the Tallase King, 
and the trembling agent came out from his watery place of 
refuge. The Tallase King was one of those who had con- 
veyed away the Oconee lands, at Augusta, and who, like the 
Georgians, entertained no good feeling for the Federal agents.* 

A spirited border war continued to be waged upon the 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 305-412-422-471-472. Abo conver- 
sation-- with oil! Indian countrymen. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^49 

northern frontiers. Captain Hadley, whose troops had been chapter 
attacked upon the Cumberland mountain, was brought to 
Willstown by the victorious party, composed of Creeks, Che- 
rokees and Shawnees. They debated, for several days, upon 
his life, which was at length saved, through the solicitations of 
Alexander Campbell and John McDonald, two old British tra- 
ders, of Willstown, but now in the Spanish interest. Great pre- 
parations were on foot, in this region, for the final extermination 
of the Cumberland people. John Watts, a Cherokee half-breed, 
had regularly organized three companies of mounted Indians, 
who had been furnished with the necessary arms by Governor 
Carondelet. A large deputation of Shawnees, from the north, 
had just completed a campaign through the Creek nation, 
endeavoring to enlist recruits for that end, and had succeeded 
in collecting six hundred and seventeen warriors, who passed 
through Willstown, on their way up. The people of East 
Tennessee, also, felt the attacks of these marauding parties. 
They defended themselves with bravery, but sometimes were 
guilty of acts of great imprudence, which served to irritate the 
Indians who were friendly. Captain Beard, at the head of 
mounted militia, attacked the peaceable people of Hiwassa, 
wounded Hanging Maw, the Chief, and killed his wife and a 
dozen others. The Indians rallied, and repulsed the assail 
ants. Such was the state of feeling and alarm, that Governor 
Blount placed General Sevier at the head of six hundred 
mounted men. That officer, crossing the Tennessee below 
the mountains, marched for the Oostanaula, where he made 
some Cherokees prisoners. Proceeding to the site of the 



1793 
June 12 



150 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter modern Rome, he discovered Indian intrencliments on the 
opposite bank of the Etowah. Plunging into that stream, the 
October 17 troops gained the southern bank, and, after a fight of an hour, 
the Indians gave way, bearing off their dead and wounded, 
but leaving their camp equipage, horses, Spanish guns and 
ammunition. General Sevier afterwards scoured this whole 
region, without opposition, and returned to East Tennessee. 
It appeared that the evil one, himself, was stalking through 
this wild region, for, independently of the commotions upon 
the frontiers of Georgia and Tennessee, the Creeks and Chicka- 
saws were engaged in a bloody war, while French emissaries 
were at work to estrange the affections of the South- Western 
people from the Federal Government.* 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 434-43D-441-454-4C4-47-;, 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



151 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE FRENCH MINISTER, GENET— HIS DESIGNS 
UPON THE SOUTH-WEST. 

Louis XVI., the friend of America, had been beheaded at chapter 

XXV. 

Paris, and Robespierre, and other hyenas, swayed unhappy 
France. Genet was their American Minister. Upon his January 26 
arrival in the United States, he assumed unwarrantable 
grounds. After failing to enlist Washington in his Jacobini- 
cal notions of liberty, he sought to disaftect the Southern and 
Western people, and to dismember the Union. He took 
advantage of the excited feeling of the population, upon the 
Holston, Cumberland, Ohio, and other tributaries of the 
Mississippi, who had long denounced the Federal Govern- 
ment, for allowing them no protection against the savages, 
and for not compelling the Spaniards, who held the Lower 
Mississippi, to grant them the free navigation of that river. 
Indeed, these brave and adventurous people had just grounds 
of complaint. They were cut oft' from the rest of the Union, 
and had to defend themselves, while their rich products, of 
corn, flour and tobacco, rotted at their doors, on account of 



152 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter the arbitrary laws of the Spanish provinces below them, 
xxv. They, naturally enough, entertained no love for a Union 
which was no advantage to them. The Georgians, on the 
other hand, claimed all the territory, between 31° and 35°, 
from the Savannah to the Mississippi, and, although inde- 
pendent of the navigation of the u Father of Waters," viewed 
its exclusive occupation by the Spaniards as a great outrage, not 
only against their rights, but those of their North- Western 
brethren. Georgia was also irritated with the Federal Govern- 
ment, for its irresolution and tardiness in adjusting her various 
rights, both in regard to the Spaniards and the Creeks, as we 
have repeatedly seen. Again, Genet was further encouraged 
in his nefarious schemes, on account of the war which was then 
declared between France and Spain. lie was led to believe, 
from all these circumstances, that it would be an easy matter 
to make the disaffected citizens of the United States allies of 
France, and, associated with the dissatisfied French popula- 
tion, upon the Mississippi, he could overthrow the Spanish 
provinces of Louisiana and the Floridas, and establish a go- 
vernment dependent upon the republic of France. Two 
expeditions were planned by him, in the West, while in 
Charleston. Several distinguished citizens had accepted com- 
missions under him. The desire to invade the Floridas pre- 
vailed in Georgia, to an alarming extent. From the frontiers 
of South-Carolina and Kentucky, detachments, called the 
" French Legion," marched to places of rendezvous. They 
were to serve three months, and receive bounties of land. 
Genet was to have been commander-in-chief. His most 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 153 



influential and powerful assistant was General Elijah Clarke, chapter 

XXV 

of Georgia. That gentleman had despatched an agent to 

1794 

Lexington, Kentucky, who purchased, upon his credit, two March 
boats, powder and cannon-ball, which were conveyed down the 
Ohio. An agent was furnished with ten thousand dollars, to 
purchase supplies for a Georgia army, to assemble at St. Mary's. 
Clarke had authority to issue military appointments, in the 
name of the French republic, and he constituted Peter B. Wil- 
liamson, major, Carr, a colonel, and conferred the com- 
missions of captain on Bird and other citizens of Georgia. 

The French sloop-of-war, Las Casas, direct from Charleston, 
anchored at St. Mary's, within musket-shot of the American 
post, which was in command of Major Gaither. She was 
destined for Louisiana, and her officers asserted that thirteen 
sail, large and well-manned, were yet to follow, from different 
ports of the United States. In the meantime, boat-builders 
were vigorously employed upon the Ohio, and persons of 
character and wealth sold their property at auction, to facili- 
tate their completion. A considerable body of Creeks and 
Cherokees had likewise been enlisted in the cause of the 
" French republic." The Governor of East Florida, alarmed 
at these preparations, remonstrated with Governor Mathews, 
of Georgia, who immediately issued his proclamation, forbid- 
ding the people of Georgia to engage in such enterprises. 
Shortly afterwards, Washington issued a proclamation against May 14 
the whole project, and authorized Governor Mathews to em- 
ploy all the United States troops, then in Georgia, to put 
down the contemplated invasion. 



^54 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER 
XXV. 



Governor Carondelet was active in preparations for defence. 
He strengthened New-Orleans, and added troops to the fort 
at Mobile, and other posts, while he erected new ones at 
several points below the month of the Ohio. The militia, 
throughout Louisiana and the Floridas, were completely or- 
ganized. It is strange that the Baron Carondelet should, at 
this time, have resorted to the same scheme contemplated by 
his enemy, Genet. He, too, despatched an emissary — an 
Englishman, named Powers — among the Western American 
citizens, with offers of arms, ammunition, money, and free 
navigation, if they would join his standard, and separate 
themselves from the Federal Union. But his plans, as well 
as those of Genet, were defeated by the firmness of Wash- 
ington and the loyalty of the States of Georgia and South- 
Carolina. The latter, too, came to the rescue of the Federal 
Government — the Legislature adopting measures for the 
arrest of Genet's agents. * 
1794 Seagrove remained at Tookabatcha until the 1st of April. 

Then he departed for Georgia, with a delegation of Chiefs, 
who visited Governor Mathews, who appears to have been a 
more conciliatory man than the fiery Telfair, who had now 
gone out of office. The Chiefs expressed a desire for peace, 
and Governor Mathews sent them back to the nation, well 

* American State Papers, Foreign Relations, folio edition, vol. 1, 
op. 454-460. Martin's History of Louisiana, vol. 2, pp. 91-118-122- 
123-126-127-128. Monette's History of the Valley of the Mississip- 
pi, vol. 1, pp. 469-485-492-496-505-510. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^55 

pleased with their visit, and guarded by a detachment, under chapter 
General Glasscock. 

A new settlement, contemplated west of the Oconee, was 
now about to originate more trouble with the Creeks. The 
restless and enterprising General Elijah Clarke, who had 
fought with so much indomitable courage, and who had display- 
ed such remarkable endurance, during the whole of the revo- 
lutionary war, and was one of the best whigs that ever lived, 
was at the head of this movement, and that, too, immediately 
upon the heels of the abortive attempt to invade Florida. 
After the revolution, he continued to defend his State, and 
his resolute spirit and mighty arm beat off many a murder- 
ous savage band. But he was too impulsive and restless for 
times of peace. He now undertook to extinguish the Creek 
claims, in a very practical maimer. With a large party of 
men, he began a settlement opposite Fort Fidius, on the west j„ ly 
side of the Oconee, upon Indian territory. General Irwin, on 
the part of the State, ordered him to remove, which he refused 
to. do. Mathews forbid, by proclamation, the contemplated 
settlement, and accused Clarke of an attempt to form a sepa- 
rate and independent government. The latter appeared at 
the Superior Court of Wilkes, and surrendered himself to the 
Judge, who placed his case before the Magistrates. These 
worthy and learned men went into a full history of the laws 
of the United States, those of Georgia, those of the world, 
called the " law of nations," those of the Creeks, and those 
of the Spaniards, and came to the very liberal decision, en- 



^56 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter dorsed upon the indictment, " that the said Elijah Clarke be, 
and is, hereby discharged" 

Many people now nocked to the standard of Clarke. His 
settlements were pushed with vigor, a town was laid off, and 
Forts Advance and Defiance were erected and garrisoned. 
Washington was uneasy at this movement, and requested Go- 
vernor Mathews to put down all attempts at the occupation of 
the Indian domain, and promising to furnish him with troops 
from South-Carolina, if it should become necessary. Ma- 
thews directed Generals Twiggs and Irwin to break up these 
establishments. They approached them with Georgia militia, 
who acted with great firmness and moderation. Clarke, aban- 
179 * doned by all his men, except twenty, surrendered, upon con- 
dition that his property, and that of the colonists, should be 
returned to them. The forts and houses were destroyed by 
fire, and the affair happily ended, without the shedding of a 
drop of blood. 

The northern frontiers were still disturbed by Indian ma- 
rauding parties. Major James Ore advanced from Nashville, 
with five hundred and fifty mounted infantry, to the town of 

September 13 Nickajack, surrounded and attacked it by surprise, and killed 
many of its inhabitants, while nineteen women and children 
were made prisoners. On his inarch from thence, up the 
river, he was attacked, at the Narrows, by the savages, who, 
after a few fires, gave way, and retreated to Running Water, 
which was soon taken, and likewise destroyed. Ore re-crossed 
the Tennessee, before night, and took up the line of march 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



157 



for Nashville, with his prisoners, and a large quantity of chapter 
effects, which had been taken by the Indians from various XXV * 
persons. Andrew Jackson, afterward^ President, was a pri- 
vate in this expedition.* 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 495-500-632. Kendall's Life of Jack- 
son, p. 89. 



158 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE SECOND YAZOO SALE. 
chapter The winter of 1794 and 1795 was remarkable for the 

XXVI. 

celebrated Yazoo speculation, or, as the more intolerant op- 

1794 and 1795 1 ' ' r 

ponents of the measure termed it, the " Yazoo fraud." We 
have already seen how a prior sale of territory, lying in Ala- 
bama and Mississippi, by the Georgia Legislature, ultimately 
terminated. We have said that we did not believe that 
Georgia, under the treaties made between Spain, Great Bri- 
tain and the United States, in 1*782 and 1783, had a right to 
the extensive territory lying between the Chattahoochie and 
the Mississippi, but, as the Federal Government contended 
that she had, it ought to have placed her in possession of the 
country, by the expulsion of the Spaniards. The Georgians 
felt much aggrieved by the conduct of the General Govern- 
ment, in not only permitting the Spaniards to occupy what 
they really believed to be their soil, but in suffering them 
constantly to instigate the Creeks in killing and plundering 
their frontier population, and in interfering with their treaties. 
In truth, Georgia did not recognize the right, even in the 
Federal Government, to make treaties with the Indians, re- 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^59 



specting the territory which she claimed — while the General chapter 

XXVI. 

Government, on the other hand, did not admit any right in 
Georgia to make treaties. These, and many other things of 
a like nature, we are charitable enough to believe, chiefly 
prompted the Yazoo sale. 

1794 

The first bill which the Legislature of Georgia passed, in December 29 
regard to the Yazoo sale, at the session of 1794, was returned, 
with the objections of Governor George Mathews. He con- 
tended that the time had not arrived for the disposal of the 
territory ; that the sum offered for it was not enough ; that 
the quantity reserved for the citizens was too small ; that 
greater advantages were secured to purchasers than to citi- 
zens ; that it would operate as a monopoly : and that at least 
one-fourth of the lands ought to be reserved, for the future 
disposal of the State. The Legislature became much excited 

1795 

at the veto of the bill, and, in a few days, passed another, February 7 
which Governor Mathews signed. 

Governor Mathews was a man of honor and integrity. He 
vetoed the first bill, not on account of any fraud which he 
supposed the Legislature was committing upon the Federal 
Government, for, in common with many other prominent 
citizens of Georgia, he believed that the State had a right to 
sell its own lands ; but he vetoed it for the reasons which we 
have enumerated. 

Governor Mathews was a native of Ireland, and landed 
upon the Virginia shore in 1737. Establishing himself in the 
county of Augusta, he immediately became a formidable and 
fearless defender of the country, against the Indians west of 



160 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter the Ohio, who frequently made incursions into Western Vir- 

XXVI. 

ginia. After many combats, in defence of his fathers house, 
and those of his neighbors, he was appointed a captain, and 
participated, in the most gallant manner, in the great battle 
fought between the Virginians and Indians, at the junction of 
the Ohio with the Kenawha, on the 10th October, 17 74. In 
1775, he was elected a colonel of the ninth regiment, and, 
for two years, he commanded it, on the eastern shore of Vir- 
ginia, after which he joined General Washington. Colonel 
Mathews commanded his regiment at Brandywine, and, at 
the battle of Germantown, captured a regiment of the 
enemy. He received a very severe wound with a bayonet, in 
another skirmish, was taken prisoner, and confined on board 
a British ship, in the harbor of New- York. He was not ex- 
changed until the termination of the war, when he joined 
General Greene, as commander of the third Virginia regi- 
ment. He removed to " Goose Pond," on Broad river, 
Georgia, in 1785, with his family. One year afterwards, he 
was elected Governor of the State. Under the present con- 
stitution, he was the first representative of Georgia in Con- 
gress, and, in 1794, 1795, he was again governor. 

Governor Mathews was short in stature, and compactly 
made. His hair was light, and his complexion fair and florid. 
He wore a three-cornered cocked hat, a pair of top-boots, a 
shirt full-ruffled in front and at the wrists, and, occasionally, 
a long sword at his side. He was a man of unsurpassed 
bravery, and of indomitable energy. His mind was of a 
strong and vigorous order, but wholly uncultivated, except by 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. -j^ 

observation of men and things. His education was more lim- chapter 
ited than that of any other man of the same distinction. In 
consequence of his valuable military services, the Legislature 
of Virginia has preserved his memory, in the name of one of 
the counties of that State. 

The preamble to the Yazoo bill declared that the articles 
of confederation stipulated that each State was to retain her 
territory ; that, by the treaty of Paris, of 1783, the bounda- 
ries of Georgia, as well as those of other States, were con- 
firmed ; that they were consistent with all the former acts of 
Georgia, and with the convention held at Beaufort, in 1787, 
between South-Carolina and Georgia ; that the States had 
the right of pre-emption, as well as the full exercise of all 
territorial rights ; that the legislature disapproved of the 
New-York treaty with McGillivray ; that the President had 
no authority to guarantee, therein, all the territory west of 
the Oconee to the Creeks ; and that Georgia clearly had the 
right to convey fee simple titles to all her territories, to indi- 
viduals or companies. 

The act stipulated that one-fifth of the purchase-money 
should be paid into the Georgia treasury, previous to the 
passage of the bill. The remainder was to be paid on the 
1st November following, secured, by a mortgage, to the go- 
vernor. Payments were to be made in specie, United States 
Bank bills, or military warrants, drawn by the governor, 
from 1791 to 1795, inclusive. 

For the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, the 
legislature sold to James Gunn, Matthew McAllister, George 
VOL. ii. 9 



1£2 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Walker, and their associates, termed the " Georgia Compa- 
ny," an immense area of territory, which now embraces the 
following modern counties : 

In Alabama — Clarke, Marengo, Greene, Perry, Autauga, 
Bibb, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Fayette, Jefferson, St. Clair, 
the southern portions of Blount, Walker and Marion, and 
portions of Wilcox, Monroe, Dallas, Sumter and Baldwin. 

In Mississippi — The larger portions of Kemper, Neshoba, 

Leake, Madison, Yazoo and Issaquena, all of Washington, 

Holmes, Attala, Winston, Noxubee, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, 

Febmlrr 7 Choctaw, Carroll, Sunflower, Bolivar, Tallahatchie, Yalabusha, 

Chickasaw and Monroe. 

For the sum of one hundred and fifty-five thousand dollar's, 
the legislature sold to Nicholas Long, Thomas Glasscock, 
Ambrose Gordon, Thomas Gumming, and their associates, 
called the " Georgia Mississippi Company," all the territory 
out of which has since been formed the following counties : 

In Mississippi — The northern portions of Greene, Perry, 
Marion, Pike, Amite and Wilkinson, all of Adams, Franklin, 
Lawrence, Covington, Jones, Wayne, Jefferson, Copiah, Simp- 
son, Smith, Jasper, Clarke, Lauderdale, Newton, Scott, Ran- 
kin, Hinds, Warren, Claiborne, and the southern portions of 
Yazoo, Issaquena, Madison, Leake, Neshoba and Kemper. 

In Alabama — Nearly all of old Washington and Sumter, 
and the south-west corner of Greene. 

For the sum of thirty-five thousand dollars, that body also 
conveyed to Wade Hampton, John B. Scott and John C. 
Nightingale, termed the " Upper Mississippi Company," the 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^3 

territory extending entirely across the extreme northern part chapter 



of the State of Mississippi, twenty-live miles deep, now em- 
bracing the northern portions of the modern counties of De 
Soto, Marshall, Tippah, Tishamingo and a fragment of the 
northern part of Tunica. 

For the sum of sixty thousand dollars, the Legislature of 
Georgia also sold to Zachariah Coxe, Mathias Maher, and 
their associates, called the "Tennessee Company," all 'the 
territory comprising the whole of North Alabama, out of 
which the following counties have since been formed : Lau- 
derdale, Limestone, Madison, Jackson, De Kalb, Cherokee, 
Marshall, Morgan, Lawrence, Franklin, and the northern parts 
of Marion, Walker and Blount. 

The lands thus conveyed to the four Yazoo companies, for 
the gross sum of live hundred thousand dollars, contained 
twenty-one million five hundred thousand acres. A reserve 
of two millions of acres was made, from this purchase, for 
the benefit of the citizens who desired to become purchasers, 
upon the original terms of sale. The four companies paid 
promptly into the treasury one-fifth of the purchase-money, 
and obtained titles from the governor. During the progress 
of this bold measure, the members of the legislature were 
in the midst of the profoundest excitement, which extended 
to the " lobby members," and the whole community. 

The bill was signed by Thomas Napier, Speaker of the 
House, Benjamin Taliaferro, President of the Senate, and 
approved by His Excellency, George Mathews, Governor. 

It was asserted that " bribery and corruption distinguished 



XXVI. 



1795 
February 7 



1£4 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter the proceedings of the members favorable to the Yazoo act." 
The public documents abound with affidavits, pro and con. 
It was assorted that members were bought up, to vote for the 
measure, by receiving, in advance, from the companies, certifi- 
cates of large shares of the land which they were about to 
vote to sell. The public became aroused upon the subject. 
A majority of the counties, through their grand juries, 
pronounced against the act. Public meetings assembled, all 
over Georgia, and the bitterest denunciations fell from the lips 
May ^io ot> ever y speaker. A large convention was held at Louisville, 
where hundreds of petitions were read, and evidence adduced, 
setting forth " the atrocious peculation, corruption and collu- 
sion, by which said usurped acts and grants were obtained." 
Although the tide of public sentiment swept over the State 
in angry torrents, destroying the popularity of the members 
who voted for the act, and elevating to power its most vio- 

Novemberi lent opponents, yet the four companies paid up the whole of 
the purchase-money, and believed themselves secure in their 
\ -ast fortunes, because the bill stipulated that the acts of no 
subsequent legislatures should affect their titles. 

Washington was astounded at the Yazoo sale, and laid 

February 17 before Congress copies of the bill, using this language in 
reference to it: "These acts embrace an object of great 
magnitude, and their consequences may deeply affect the 
peace and welfare of the United States." The two houses of 
Congress adopted a resolution, instructing the Attorney-Gene- 
ral to investigate the title of Georgia to the lands sold. 

The Legislature of Georgia again convened, in the winter,, 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^5 



with a new governor and new body of members, except chapter 

xxvi. 

1795 



those who voted against the Yazoo sale. General James 
Jackson, a distinguished partisan officer of the revolution, 
was at the head of the new organization. He had canvassed 
the State, and, from the hustings, denounced the extraordi- 
nary measure, while, with his able pen, he produced several 
severe pamphlets upon the subject. He introduced a bill for 
the repeal of the Yazoo sale, which declared it " null and 

1796 

void." It was adopted, and received the signatures of Jared February 13 

Irwin, the new Governor, Thomas Stephens, Speaker of the 

House, and Benjamin Taliaferro, President of the Senate. 

In the midst of the largest procession ever known in the land, 

the records of the Yazoo act were expunged, and, to show 

the indignation of its opponents, the bill itself was consumed, 

in the streets of Louisville, by fire from Heaven !* 

But, in the meantime, hundreds had emigrated to the 
Tombigby and the Mississippi, establishing themselves in 
those distant and isolated regions, intending soon to occupy 
the lands which the companies had proposed to grant them. 
In this respect, the Yazoo sale was a great blessing. It con- 
tributed to throw into that wild region a population of Geor- 
gians, whose activity, ability and enterprise better fitted them 
to seize, occupy, and bring into cultivation a wilderness, mark 

* They held a sun-glass over the paper, until it was consumed by the 
fire thus generated. The Yazoo act may be seen, together with all the 
votes upon it, and an account of the excitement which it produced, in 
Public Lands, vol. 1, pp. 120-144. Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 551- 
555-561. Georgia Digest, of 1798, pp. 557-558. 



1(36 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter ou t towns, people them, build female academies, erect church- 

XXVI. iin , 

es, and hold courts, than any other people. 

By an arrangement between the President and the Georgia 
May authorities, Benjamin Hawkins, of North-Carolina, George 
Clymer, of Pennsylvania, and Andrew Pickens, of South- 
Carolina, repaired to Coleraine, upon the St. Mary's river, 
where they met James Jackson, James Simms and James 
Henricks, agents for Georgia. The object was the formation 
of a treaty of peace with the Creeks, and the cession, to 
Georgia, of the lands between the Oconee and the Ockmulgee. 
A full delegation of Indians, consisting of twenty Kings and 
seventy-five Chiefs, together with three hundred and forty 
warriors, soon arrived. Seagrove, the Creek Agent, suggested 
the propriety of moving the council from Coleraine to Mus- 
cogee, a short distance off, which was accordingly done. 
There, the Chiefs, after marching under the United States 
flag, performing the eagle-tail dance, smoking with the com- 
missioners, and engaging in other ceremonious preparations, 
began the council. The first day was occupied with the 
speeches of the commissioners, who gave a full exposition of 
the views and wishes of the President. On the following 
day, General Jackson, on the part of Georgia, made a long 
speech, in which he pointed out the faithless observance of 
their treaties with his State, by the Creeks, and exhibited 
two schedules of the property which they had stolen, amount- 
ing to the value of one hundred and ten thousand dollars, 
which he demanded to be restored. The Indians listened 
with profound attention, and, when he had concluded, they 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. J^f 



CHAPTER 
XXVI. 



1796 
June 29 



adjourned for the day — the Big Warrior, who had lately be- 
come a prominent Chief, facetiously remarking, " I can fill up 
more paper than Jackson has done, with a list of similar out- 
rages of the Georgians upon my people." 

A treaty was concluded, between the Chiefs of the ivhole 
Creek nation and the Federal commissioners, the former rati- 
fying the New- York treaty, and pledging themselves to carry 
out its provisions, and to assist Spain and the United States 
to run their line. They also stipulated to allow the govern- 
ment the right to establish posts upon the territory between 
the Oekmulgee and Oconee, allowing to each five miles square 
of land ; but they positively refused to cede any of this terri- 
tory to Georgia. The United States stipulated to allow the 
Creek nation two blacksmiths and two strikers, with tools 
and iron, and to distribute, immediately, six thousand dollars 
worth of goods among those who were present. 

The Georgia agents were offended with Seagrove, with the 
Indians, and with the Federal commissioners. They present- 
ed to the latter a protest, in which they accused them of 
having disregarded the interests of Georgia. They brought June 
charges against Seagrove, who, they coutended, influenced 
the Creeks not to cede the lands as far as the Oekmulgee. 
The Federal commissioners denied these allegations. Sea- 
grove and Jackson became great enemies, and afterwards 
fought a duel.* 

Washington had despatched Thomas Pinckney, as Envoy 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 586-616. 

9* 



l§g THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Extraordinary, to Madrid, who there concluded, with the 
Prince of Peace, a treaty, in which the King of Spain stipu- 
October27 lated that the southern boundary of the United States should 
be the line of 31°, from the Mississippi to the Chattahoochie, 
thence, down the middle of that river, to its junction with the 
Flint, thence direct to the head of the St. Mary's river, 
thence down the middle of that stream to the Atlantic; 
that all Spanish posts and inhabitants, found north of this 
boundary, should be removed, within six months after the 
ratification of the treaty, and the American posts and in- 
habitants living south of it, should also be removed, within 
the same period ; that the navigation of the Mississippi, from 
its source to the Gulf, should remain free for the commerce of 
the subjects of Spain and the citizens of the American Union ; 
that both powers should cultivate peace with the Indians, for 
mutual benefit and protection ; that, hereafter, Spain should 
not form treaties of alliance with Indians living upon Ameri- 
can soil, nor the Federal Government with Indians living 
upon Spanish territory ; and that Spanish and American 
commissioners should mark the boundary, before the expira- 
tion of six months, after the ratification of the treaty.* 

Colonel Andrew Ellicott, who had remained upon the Oco- 
nee so long, to no purpose, awaiting a favorable opportunity to 
run the line, according to the New-York treaty, was now 
transferred, by Washington, to Natchez, as one of the com- 
missioners to mark the boundary between Spain and the 

* Foreign Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 553-559. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^69 

United States. He reached Natchez, by way of the Ohio, chapter 
and immediately commenced negotiations with Don Manuel 
Gayoso de Lemos, commandant of Fort Panmure, Governor February 24 
of the Natchez dependencies, and commissioner on the part 
of Spain. Bat Carondelet had determined not to comply 
with the treaty, affecting to consider it made by his sovereign 
as a " court finesse" until he could settle his European diffi- 
culties, when he would wholly disregard it, and hold on to 
his posts east of the Mississippi. He again began to intrigue 
with the Western American population, for the dismember- 
ment of the Union, through his emissary, the notorious Pow- 
ers. General James Wilkinson, then at the head of the 
Western American army, who had long been the intimate 
friend of Carondelet, and had received from him private and 
exclusive privileges of trade, which were highly beneficial to 
him as a Western planter, was suspected of secretly advanc- 
ing these ends. Meanwhile, Lieutenant McLeary, with an 
American force, unfurled the Federal flag upon the heights of March 15 
Natchez. He soon afterwards marched to Fort Panmure, and 
demanded its surrender, agreeably to the treaty. But Gayo- 
so, who had placed it in complete repair, and had strength- 
ened it with artillery and men, refused to evacuate it. The 
Spanish posts at Walnut Hills and Baton Rouge were all 
strengthened, by the orders of Carondelet. An angry cor- 
respondence ensued, in which Ellicott remonstrated against 
this conduct, as conflicting with the letter and spirit of the 
treaty. Gayoso justified himself, upon the ground that the 
Ohoctaws and Chickasaws, whom he had hired to surround 



270 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Natchez and make threats, intended to attack the Natchez 

XXVI. 

settlements, in consequence of the presence of the American 
troops. While these things were going on, Lieutenant Percy 
Smith Pope arrived at Natchez, with forty men, which were 
added to the American force. Gayoso remonstrated against 
the presence of these troops, intrenched within sight of Fort 
Panmure. Their flag was an eye-sore to the Spaniards. He 
desired their removal to Clarkesville ; but Ellicott refused. 
May Various reasons were given by the Spaniards for not evacua- 
ting the country, one of which had some foundation, and that 
was the descent upon New- Orleans, contemplated by Western 
American citizens, who had joined the British, of Canada, for 
that purpose. One of these men was Governor P>lount, of 
Tennessee, whom the Ignited States Senate, of which he was 
a member, unanimously expelled, for endeavoring to enlist 
Western men in such an enterprise. Colonel Hutchens, Mr. 
Ripelge, and other prominent citizens of the Floridas, it is 
asserted, were also concerned in the contemplated invasion. 
But this soon blew over, and other excuses for delay were 
invented by Carondelet and his subordinate commandants. 
These things served to irritate the Natchez population, which 
had greatly increased, and desired the expulsion of the Span- 
iards. Ellicott constantly urged Gayoso to begin the running 
of the line, but never could get him to appoint a time. The 
people became tumultuous, and Gayoso, dreading the conse- 
quences of an outbreak, issued a proclamation, announcing 
that the treaty would ultimately be complied with. They 
refused to listen to his promises, and the excitement became 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



171 



alarming, when it was ascertained that Gayoso had impri- 
soned an American citizen, a Baptist preacher, named Hannah, 
who, having taken too much whiskey, had given the Spanish 
commandant some insulting language. The excitement was 
great in the country. Public meetings advised violent mea- 
sures. Gayoso was greatly alarmed, and issued another pro- 
clamation, exhorting the people to submit to the Spanish go- 
vernment, until the difficulties could be settled, and promising 
pardon to all who should repent of their misdeeds. The 
Georgians had never been accustomed to such language as 
this, and their anger now knew no bounds. Gayoso skulked 
through the cane, and had an interview with Ellicott, whose 
room he approached by the back way. By his earnest en- 
treaties, the American commissioner urged the people to be- 
come quiet, and he was greatly assisted by Colonel Hutchens, 
who had much influence with the old English population. 
He is the same gentleman, it will be recollected, whose pro- 
perty the Spaniards confiscated, in 1781, and who made his 
escape, through the Creek nation, to Georgia. 

In the midst of scenes like these, Ellicott was kept in sus- 
pense, until the 29th March, when the Spanish fort was eva- 
cuated, and all the Spanish troops sailed down the river. He 
then marched his own troops, and corps of woodmen and 
surveyors, to Tunica Bayou, and commenced his survey in a 
dense swamp, upon the eastern bank of the Mississippi, where 
the line of 31° strikes it. In a few days, he was joined by 
Major Stephen Minor and Sir William Dunbar, commissioners 



CHAPTER 
XXVI. 



1797 
June 14 



1798 
March 29 



172 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter on the part of Spain.* Gayoso was now Governor of Lou- 
isiana, and he visited Ellicott's camp, with his military staff, 
and approved of the work, as far as it had progressed. Spain, 
as well as the United States, furnished troops, to protect the 
surveyors from attacks of the Indians. These, with the pack- 
horses, woodsmen and laborers, had the appearance of an 
army. The commissioners met with great difficulties, from 
thick swamps, creeks, marshes and rivers, all of which they 
had to go through. The trees were well blazed along the 
line, and a mound thrown up at the end of every mile. They 

November 19 ^d no ^ reacn Pearl river until the 19 th November. There 

Ellicott left the surveyors, and went down that stream, in a 

canoe, to New-Orleans. Arranging his business with Gayoso, 

and purchasing a small vessel, camp equipage and supplies, 

, m ? , n he sailed to Mobile, and thence up the river of that name, 

March 17 L 

until he reached the camp of the surveyors. They had passed 
entirely through the Choctaw nation, without opposition from 
that people. The line of 31° struck Mobile river six miles 
below the junction of the Tombigby and Alabama, where 
several rivers run parallel, forming an immense swamp, seve- 
ral miles wide, which was now inundated. By means of 
April 2 boats, they erected signals upon the high lands of either side, 
and took the necessary observations and distances. These 



* Monette, vol. 1, pp. 517-532. Stodclart's Sketches of Louisiana, 
p. 89. Marbois's Louisiana, pp. 163-165. Ellicott's Journal, pp. 26- 
176. American State Papers, Boston edition, vol. 3, p. 335. 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



173 



signals consisted of flags and tremendous lightwood fires, chapter 
Ellicott here again left the surveyors, sailed to Pensacola, and 
lodged at the elegant quarters provided by the hospitable 
firm of Panton, Leslie & Co. Colonel. Benjamin Hawkins? 
now a permanent Creek Superintendent, left the nation, by 
appointment, and, reaching Pensacola, informed Ellicott that 
a large number of Creeks were then on their way down, to 
hold a council. Tt was decided to meet them upon the Cone- 
cuh, where the line would cross. This was in opposition to 
the suggestion of Governor Folch, who proposed Pensacola, 
where, it was supposed, he intended to intrigue with the 
Creeks, to prevent the line being run. Indeed, the Spaniards 
generally were opposed to the surrender of so much territory. 
At Miller's Bluff, Ellicott, Hawkins, Minor, and Colonel Max- 
ant, with several Spanish officers, met the Creeks. These 
agents of the United States and Spain, addressing the In- 
dians, urged them to assist in running the line, and not to 
oppose it, all of which they had stipulated to do, at the treaty 
of Coleraine. The Mad Dog, of Tookabatcha, replied, on the 
other side, and assured the commissioners that their wishes 
would be complied with; as they now understood that the 
line was to be run through their territory, by the consent of 
Spain. The surveyors, to whose party were added two Chiefs 
and twenty Creek warriors, had reached the Conecuh, and 
begun the line from thence to the Chattahoochie. Returning 
"to Pensacola, Hawkins and Ellicott learned, to their surprise, 
that a large body of Creeks were on their way, by an ar- 
rangement of Governor Folch, and that the survey would be 



174 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

• «, 

chapter stopped. Encamping three miles north of Pencacola, these 
savages demanded presents of the American commissioner, 
which, from motives of policy, were granted, although he had 
no agency in assembling them. It was soon ascertained that 
Folch was secretly using every exertion to defeat the plans 
of the American government. Eilicott left Pensacola, sailed 
for the mouth of the Apalachicola, and ascended that river. 
Reaching the surveyors' camp, he ascertained that the Creeks 
had been very insolent, hanging upon their rear in large bodies, 
and plundering their effects. Greatly discouraged by this 
news, he pushed the survey to the Chattahoochie, where he 
fortified himself. He sent a runner to the Ockmulgee, for 
Hawkins, who had left Pensacola. About this time, Captain 
Minor dismissed his military escort, discharged many of his 
laborers, according to the instructions of Gayoso, given in 
May, and became very importunate to set out for the St. 
Mary's. In the meantime, Hawkins had arrived, and advised 
the continuance of the work. But a party of Indians ad- 
vanced, and declared their intention to plunder the camps. 
Resolutely marching up to them, with the military, Hawkins 
kept them at bay until 10 o'clock at night, when they pro- 
mised to remain at peace till morning. All that night, how- 
ever, the woods rang with their riotous yells, while they threw 
down the beef-pens, and stole cattle and horses. They cut all 
the rigging of Ellicott's schooner, and robbed the master and 
crew, stripping them to their shirts. Fortunately, the cargo ' 
had been taken to the camp. The commissioners determined 
to retreat from Governor Folch's savage banditti. Captain 



1799 
August 25 



THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^5 

Minor, who is believed to have been innocent of any partici- chapter 

XXVI. 

pation in originating these hostilities, set out for the St. Mary's, 
attended by the American military escort, with the surveyors, September 18 
who now ceased to work. Ellicott e7itered his naked schooner, 
and propelled her, in the best way he could, down the Apa- 
lachicola, having saved all his papers and astronomical appa- 
ratus. Nearly three years had expired since he landed at 
Natchez, and he had only been able to mark the line from 
the Mississippi to the Chattahoochie, in consequence of the 
duplicity, treachery and opposition of the Spaniards. But 
the chief object was accomplished — the establishment of the 
southern boundary of the present States of Mississippi and 
Alabama. Colonel Hawkins, abandoned by the whole expe- 
dition, fearlessly remained, several days, among the Indians, 
endeavoring to reconcile them. 

Approaching the sea, Ellicott found, wrecked upon Fox September 22 
Point, a schooner of the British navy, commanded by Lieu- 
tenant Wooldridge, among whose crew w r as the celebrated 
William Augustus Bowles. We left that gifted but bad 
man in the prison of Madrid, in 1792. Knowing his great 
influence with the Creeks, the King of Spain often sent per- 
sons of his Court to the prison, with oners of military titles 
and pay, if he would abandon his allegiance to the English 
interest, join that of Spain, return to the Floridas, and con- 
tribute to strengthen the colonies with his warrior-forces. 
But the proud and unyielding Bowles spurned these offers. 
The Court then confined him in elegant quarters, and sur- 
rounded him with servants, sparkling wines and rich viands, 



176 THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter with the hope of engaging his affections ; but, this treatment 

XXVI. 

answering no purpose, he was threatened with transportation 
to the Island of Manilla, in the distant Pacific. Still unyield- 
ing, he was ironed, and sent there, in a vessel, where he 
remained until February, 1797. He was then despatched 
back to Spain ; but, on the way, hearing of the war between 
that power and England, he escaped at Ascension Island, and 
reached Sierra Leone, where the English Governor gave him 
a passage to London.* Mr. Pitt and the Duke of Portland 
provided for his necessities in a munificent manner. He left 
England in the schooner in which he was now wrecked, with 
which he had, for some time, preyed upon the commerce of 
Panton and Spain, in the Mexican Gulf. General Bowles 
addressed Ellicott a polite note, inviting him to the wreck, 
wdiere the latter repaired, and was entertained with kindness. 
He and Bowles were of mutual assistance to each other, the 
one supplying the perishing crew with some American stores, 
and the other giving him charts and valuable directions, in 
relation to the navigation around the Florida peninsula. 
Bowles had repeated conversations with Ellicott, in which he 
avowed his hatred of the Americans, and his hostility to 
Spain, and declared his determination to visit his vengeance 
upon the latter, in incessant attacks upon the Florida posts, 
at the head of the Creeks, whom he termed " My people." 

Ellicott sailed from the wreck to St. Marks, where he 
lodged in the house of the commandant, Captain Portell, 

* Du Lac's Voyage dans les deaux Louisianes, pp. 466-470. 



* 
THE SPANIARDS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



Ill 



and was agreeably entertained by bis fascinating wife. Hav- chapter 

ing repaired his schooner, he sailed around the peninsula, and 

went up the St. Mary's to the camp of the surveyors, where 

he found all had arrived safe, and where, in conjunction with 

Minor, he determined the point of the line of 31 degrees, Fe bruar y 26 

and there erected a large mound. Thus ended this protracted 

and disagreeable business.* 

* Ellicott's Journal, pp. 180-278. Also his Appendix, p. 83. The 
Indians who broke up the survey belonged to the towns of Tallase, 
upon the Tallapoosa, and Ufaula, upon the Chattahoochie. 



l^jg THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter It has been seen that the Legislature of Georgia promptly 
xxvii. repealed the Yazoo act. Congress, with the consent of that 
« 1798 ,a State, organized a large portion of the domain, which was 

May 10 >o si 

conveyed under the Yazoo sale, into a territorial government, 
embracing the country between the Chattahoochie and Mis- 
sissippi rivers, extending from the line of 31° to that of 32° 
28'. This government was not to impair the rights of Geor- 
gia to the soil. 

John Adams, now President of the United States, con- 
ferred upon Winthrop Sargent the post of .Governor of the 
" Mississippi Territory." John Steele was, at the same time, 
appointed Secretary, while Thomas Rodney, of Delaware, 
and John Tilton, of New-Hampshire, were constituted Judges 
of the Superior Court. Four months after the evacuation of 
the country by the Spaniards, these officers arrived at Natchez. 
They found the country in the occupation of the Federal 
troops, under General Wilkinson. The governor, whose 
1799 powers were extensive, commenced the organization of his 

April r 

government. He^ decreed, by proclamation, the formation of 
the Natchez district into the comities of Adams and Picker- 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^9 

ing. He established County Courts, which were to be holden chapter 
quarterly, by Associate Justices. Six thousand inhabitants, 
including slaves, comprised the population, who lived upon the 
waters of Bayou Pierre, St. Catharine, Cole, Hornochitto, and 
Buffalo creeks. There was also a settlement at the Walnut Hills, 
and one upon Big Black. It has been seen what kind of a 
population lived upon the Tensaw and Tombigby, in 1*792. 
It was now much increased, but was composed of the same 
kind of people. An advance towards civilization had, how- 
ever, been made, in that region, by the establishment of 

I797 

a ferry, by Hollinger, an Indian countryman, across the October 
Tombigby, and another, by Samuel Mims, to convey people 
over the Alabama. The route lay across Nannahubba Island, 
and, in times of high water, passengers were ferried from one 
river to the other, the distance of ten miles. Lieutenant 

1799 

McLeary had marched across the country, from Natchez, and Mays 
had taken possession of Fort St. Stephens, when the Spanish 
garrison marched out, and dropped down below Ellicott's line- 
This portion of the Mississippi territory was utterly de- 
fenceless, entirely isolated, and surrounded by Indian nations 
on the north, east and west, while the treacherous Spaniards 
were just below, at Mobile. To protect it, the Federal Go- 
vernment established a post upon the first bluff below the 
confluence of the Tombigby and Alabama. Captain Shaum- 
berg, of the 2d regiment, marched from Natchez, with two 
companies, and built a stockade, with one bastion, which was July 
called Fort Stoddart, and was situated on the site of the pre- 
sent arsenal landing of Mount Vernon. 



IgO THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Governor Sargent issued another proclamation, defining the 
limits of Washington county, embracing the population upon 
June 4 the Tombigby and Alabama. Of ail counties that ever were 
established, it was by far the most extensive in territory. It 
extended to the Chattahoochie on the east, and to Pearl river 
on the west, and was bounded on the south by the line of 
31 y , and on the north by that of 32° 28'. Twenty counties 
in Alabama, and twelve in Mississippi, have since been formed 
out of the territory of the original county of Washington. 
The people of the territory, becoming dissatisfied with the 
arbitrary measures of the governor, remonstrated with the 
President. These things, together with a prodigious increase 
of population, induced Congress to establish a second grade 
of territorial government, which allowed a legislature. Four 
representatives from Adams, four from Pickering, and one 
December f r0 m Washington, convened at Natchez. The governor held 
an unqualified veto power. 

General Wilkinson deserves to be remembered, for many 
important public services, among which were the treaties 
which he made with Indian tribes, and the military organiza- 
tion of new counties. He wrote with astonishing ease, and 
always expressed himself well. He was, unquestionably, a 
man of genius, as well as of much usefulness ; yet he had al- 
ways been suspected of allowing personal considerations to 
control much of his military and official conduct. However, 
now acting with great zeal and fidelity, he stationed troops at 
different points on the line of demarkation, from Fort Adams, 
upon the Mississippi, to Pearl river, and caused, as we have 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



181 



seen, Fort Stoddart to be built. While his head-quarters chapter 
were at Natchez, he made an advantageous treaty with the 

* J 1801 

Chickasaws, obtaining their consent, among other things, to October 24 
the cutting of a road, to remain as a highway, extending from 
the Cumberland district to the American settlements of 
Natchez. He made another treaty, with the Choctaws, for a December 17 
road from Fort Adams to the Yazoo river. The old bounda- 
ry between the British and Choctaws was also confirmed by 
him, and marked anew. He likewise repaired to the distant 
Oconee, and, near a fort named in honor of him, made a 
treaty with the Creeks, by which the latter, for valuable con- 
siderations, ceded to the United States all the territory east 
of a line, to run from the High Shoals upon Apalache, 
thence down the Oconee to its junction with the Ockmulgee, 
and thence to Ellicott's mound, upon the St. Mary's. The 
fearless, wise and patriotic agents, Benjamin Hawkins and 
Andrew Pickens, were associated with General Wilkinson in 
all these treaties, and, with him, travelled from the Chickasaw 
Bluff, upon the Mississippi, backwards and forwards, over this 
Indian world, encountering its dangers, and sharing in mutual 
hardships.* 

Mr. Jefferson, w 7 ho was now President of the United States, 
appointed William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of the Mississip- 
pi Territory. Governor Sargent retired from office, and never 
afterwards filled a public station. The new governor, who 
was descended from an ancient Virginia family, removed to 




* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 648-681. 
VOL. II. 10 



132 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Tennessee when a youth, was a member of the convention 
which formed the constitution of that State, a Judge of the 
1801 Supreme Court, and a member of Congress. A man of un- 
questioned talents, fine address, and strict probity and honor, 
he could not fail to make a popular and useful officer in the 
Mississippi wilderness. The Territorial Secretary was Cato 
West, and the bench of the Superior Court was filled by 
Daniel Tilton, Peter B. Bruin, and Seth Lewis. 

The counties of Adams and Pickering being sub-divided 

1801 and 1802 into five others, and the name of the latter changed, they 
were now called Adams, Jefferson, Wilkinson, Claiborne and 

. A code of jurisprudence was adopted, and the seat of 

government removed six miles east of Natchez, to the town 
of Washington. Joshua Baker was Speaker of the House, 
and John Ellis President of the Executive Council or Senate. 
About this period, Colonel Andrew Marschalk, of Wayne's 
army, established the " Natchez Gazette," the first paper is- 
sued in our country, and, afterwards, was so long engaged in 
the occupation, issuing different journals, for forty years, that 
he was styled the " Father of the Mississippi press." It was 
not long, however, before Timothy and Samuel Terill pub- 
lished the " Mississippi Messenger," at the seat of government, 
where, also performing the duties of public printers, they pub- 
lished the first Digest of the Territory, compiled by Judge 
Harry Toulmin.* 

* Monette, vol. 2, p. 345. Notes on the War in the South, by Na- 
thaniel H. Claiborne, pp. 91-102. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



183 



Upon the Tombigby and Lake Tensaw, the people still chapter 
lived without laws, and without the rite of matrimony. For xxyn - 
years, the sexes had been in the habit of pairing off, and 
living together, with the mutual promise of regular marriage, isoo 
when ministers or magistrates should make their appearance 
in the country. An amusing incident will here be related, in 
which a young couple were united by a functionary not hith- 
erto known as participating in such sacred rites. The house 
of Samuel Mims, a wealthy Indian countryman, was the most 
spacious in the country, and hither the young and the gay 
nocked to parties, and danced to the music furnished by the 
Creoles of Mobile and others, for the country abounded in 
fiddlers, of high and low degree. Daniel Johnson and Miss 
Elizabeth Linder had, for some time, loved each other. She 
was rich and he was poor, and, of course, the parents of the 
former objected to a pairing. On Christmas night, a large 1800 
party was assembled at " Old Sam Mims','' and the very for- 
ests resounded with music and merry peals of laughter. In 
the midst of the enjoyment, the lovers, in company with 
several young people, of both sexes, secretly left the house, 
entered some canoes, paddled down Lake Tensaw, into the 
Alabama, and arrived at Fort Stoddart, an hour before day- 
light. Captain Shaumberg, who had risen early to make his 
egg-nog, was implored to join the lovers in the bonds of 
matrimony. The proposition astounded the good-natured old 
German, who protested his ignorance of all such matters, and 
assured them that he was only a military commandant, having 
no authority whatever to make people man and wife. They 



184 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter entreated, telling him, with truth, that the Federal Govern- 
xx merit had placed him there as a general protector and regu- 

1800 lator of affairs, and that the case before him demanded his 
sanction and adjustment. After the egg-nog had circulated 
pretty freely, the commandant placed the lovers before him, 
and, in a stentorian voice, pronounced the following marital 
speech : " I, Captain Shaumberg, of the 2d regiment of the 
United States army, and commandant of Fort Stoddart, do 
hereby pronounce you man and wife. Go home ! behave 
yourselves — multiply and replenish the Tensaw country !" 
The happy pair entered their canoes, rowed back to the Boat 
Yard, and were pronounced, by the whole settlement, " the 
best married people they had known in a long time."* 

The Federal Government displayed much wisdom in the 

1802 establishment of a factory, or trading-house, at St. Stephens. 
It was well stored with such merchandize as suited the Choc- 
taws, for whom it was particularly designed. It served to 
create a good feeling with those Indians, and to entice them 
from the control of Panton and the Spaniards, below the line. 
Joseph Chambers, a man of a well-cultivated mind, and of 
business capacity, a native of Salisbury, North-Carolina, was 
made superintendent of this factory, with, an assistant, Tho- 
mas H. Williams, also from North-Carolina, who afterwards 
was Secretary of the Territory, Collector of the port of New- 
Orleans, and United States Senator from Mississippi. ■ 

The Yazoo act had been repealed, the treaty of Madrid 

* Conversations with old settlers. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. |g5 

had been made, Ellicott's line had been run, and the Spaniards chapter 
had been removed ; still great difficulties had arisen be- XXVII « 
tween Georgia and the Federal Government, in relation to 
lands granted under the Yazoo act, which the companies, and 
various purchasers under them, resolutely claimed and de- 
fended. Many plans were proposed, for satisfactory adjust- 
ment, which produced debate and contention of an angry 
character. Finally, Albert Gallatin, James Madison and Levi 
Lincoln, on the part of the government, and James Jackson, 
Abraham Baldwin and John Milledge, representing Georgia, A 18& , 2 2 
made a final disposition of the matter. For the sum of one 
million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Georgia 
ceded to the United States all the territory within the follow- 
ing boundaries : beginning upon the Mississippi, at the line of 
31°, thence continuing up that river to the line of 35°, 
thence along that line, due east, to Nickajack, thence south- 
ward to the mouth of Uchee creek, thence down the Chatta- 
hoochie to Ellicott's line, thence along that line due west, to 
the Mississippi, the place of beginning. The purchase-money 
was to be paid to Georgia, out of the first net proceeds of the 
sales of these lands. The United States stipulated to recog- 
nize all good claims, to any of this territory, under Spanish 
and British grants, and also under the act of Georgia, of 
1785, creating the county of Bourbon ; but it refused to 
admit any of the Yazoo claims.* The United States now 
held the right of jurisdiction, and the right of soil, to all the 

* Public Lands, vol. 1, p. 114. 



136 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter territory which forms the present States of Alabama and 
xxvii. Mississippi. After this compromise, the money paid by the 
Yazoo companies was made over to the United States. Some 
of it had been drawn by the purchasers, under the law of 
Georgia ; some of it had been lost, whilst in deposite at the 
treasury, from which the State had taken the precaution to 
be saved harmless, having declared, in good time, that the 
deposite should remain in the treasury at the risk of the 
depositors. The Yazoo grantees, or those claiming under 
them, were never suffered to hold lands in Alabama or Mis- 
sissippi, in virtue of either the Yazoo act or the compromise. 
They might have held as much as they pleased, in virtue of 
the stock of five million scrip, created by an act of Congress. 
Emigrants flocked to the Mississippi Territory, by various 
routes, all of which were difficult, and some of them very 
1801 circuitous. A party set out from North-Carolina, consisting 

December * J & 

of Thomas Malone, a young clerk in the land office of Raleigh, 
John Murrel and his family, James Moore, Goodway Myrick, 
George Nosworthy, Robert Caller, William Murrel, and sixty 
negroes. With great difficulty they ascended the Blue Ridge, 
with their wagons, and descended, through its dark gorges, 
into the valley of the Tennessee. Constructing flat-boats, at 
Knoxville, they floated down the river to the head of the 
Muscle Shoals, where they disembarked, at the house of 
Double-Head, a Cherokee Chief. Placing their effects upon 
the horses, which had been brought down, by land, from 
Knoxville, they departed, on foot, for the " Bigby settle- 
ments," about St. Stephens, a great distance off, and to which 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



187 



1802 
January 



not a solitary direct path led. After a fatiguing march, they chapter 
reached the residence of Levi Colbert, a celebrated Chicka- XXVII « 
saw Chief, who gave them the necessary directions. Pursuing 
their journey, they came upon the Tombigby, at the Cotton 
Gin, which had, not long before, been erected by the Federal 
Government, to encourage the Chickasaws in the cultivation 
of the great staple. 

Desiring to lessen the fatigues of the long and painful trip, 
the party constructed two canoes at this point, each forty 
feet in length, and very large, but of miserable workmanship, 
being executed with no other tools than axes and grubbing 
hoes. These they placed in the river, in parallel positions, 
five feet apart. They were connected by a platform, made of 
cane, upon which were deposited the effects of the expedition, 
which were piled up high above the heads of the emigrants, 
who now sat down in long rows, in the two canoes. A few 
of the men went by land with the horses, towards St. Ste- 
phens, to make preparations for the arrival of the main party. 
This rude and singular craft, then quite common in savage 
regions, had proceeded but two miles down the rapid, crooked 
and swollen stream, when it struck, with great force, against 
a log, which extended half across the channel, and immedi- 
ately disappeared. The cane ligament which bound the 
Siamese canoes, burst asunder, and every soul was washed 
deep under the waves. Those who rose again, were pre- 
sently seen struggling with the torrent, amid the wreck, now 
tossed about in the fury of the waters. Murrel rose, but in 
his arms was the lifeless body of a daughter. His wife also 
10* 



-|_gg THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter came to the surface, with a babe at her breast, both happily 
xxvu. a ii ve> Malone and others, swimming ashore, became active 
in assisting many of the party in reaching limbs of trees, by 
extending to them grape-vines and canes. At length, all 
who survived, huddled upon a small piece of land, surrounded 
by water. 

It was now night. The north wind swept over the gloomy 
swamp. The ducks, in their rapid flight, whizzed through the 
air. The wolves howled upon the prairies. The oavIs scream- 
ed and hooted upon the lofty trees. The mighty timber crash- 
ed as the angry currents passed by. Such were the unwelcome 
sounds that fell upon the ears of this miserable party. No 
succor came. No encouraging voice saluted them. Be- 
numbed with cold, they hovered together to keep alive, shiv- 
ering and knocking their agitated limbs against each other, 
while their wet apparel froze fast upon them. Being without 
fire, they had no way to produce one. It was two miles back 
to the old camp, and the route lay over thick cane, water and 
small islands. A resolute young negro man volunteered to 
find it. He plunged into the low grounds, and strangely 
made his way to the camp. In the meantime, the helpless 
pioneers, despairing of his return, bewailed their condition 
with deep moans and bitter lamentations. Beneath the sha- 
dows of one of the darkest nights ever known, they mournfully 
counted over the missing and the drowned. Two long hours 
passed aw T ay, when the cheerful halloo of the negro was heard 
afar off. It was answered by a united and sympathetic shout. 
All eyes were turned in the direction from which the sound 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. -t oq 

came, and in the darkness was seen an indistinct light, which chapter 
shone over the tops of the distant canes, like a far-off Aurora xxvu. 
Borealis. It was fire, and the noble negro had brought it 
from the old camp. At length he came, with a cracking, 
crashing noise, familiar only to the ears of those who have 
walked through the dense cane-swamps of Alabama. 

Fires were kindled with dry cane, and around them sat the 
sufferers, until the morning sun dispelled the horrid night. 
It was now ascertained that one white child, and twenty-one 
negroes, were entombed beneath the tide of the angry Tom- 
bigby. The survivors groped their way to the Cotton Gin, 
without provisions, without hats, without tools, without fire- 
arms, without money, and with no clothes except those which 
drooped upon their limbs. They were friendless and alone in 
a savage country, far from their point of destination, and still 
further from their native land. 

Who saved these people from starvation, and enabled 
them to reach Washington county, Alabama, after a journey 
of one hundred and twenty days from North-Carolina ? Not 
the Indians, for one of them stole a negro from the brave 
Malone, for the return of whom he had to give his watch. 
Those animals, who cling to their unfortunate masters to the 
last moment, and are never once guilty of the crime of in- 
gratitude — who hunted rabbits, opossums and raccoons for 
their famished owners. They saved the lives of these people. 

Several years previous to this period, two brothers, from 
New-England, came to the Boat Yard, upon Lake Tensaw. 
William Pierce pursued the business of weaving — a profitable 



190 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



October 



chapter employment in those days. His brother, John, established 
xxvii. the first American school in Alabama. There, the InVh-blood 

1799 

descendants of Lachlan McGillivray — the Taits, Weatherfords 
and Dnrants, the aristocratic Linders, the wealthy Mims's, and 
the children of many others, first learned to read. The pupils 
were strangely mixed in blood, and their color was of every 
hue. It was not long before these Yankee brothers engaged 
in mercantile pursuits. They established a cotton gin at the 
Boat Yard, the first in that part of the country. Six months 
before this, Abram Mordecai, an Indian trader, procuring 
the consent of the Creek Chiefs and the approbation of Col. 
Hawkins, had established a cotton gin at Weatherford's race- 
track, on the first eastern bluff below the junction of the Coosa 
and Tallapoosa. It was built by Lyons & Barnett, of Georgia, 
who brought their tools, gin saws and other materials, from 
that State, on pack-horses. The same enterprising mechanics 
also built the one for the Pierces, and another, at Mcintosh 
Bluff, upon the Tombigby. 

Abram Mordecai was a queer fellow. He traded ex- 
tensively with the Indians, exchanging his goods for pink-root, 
hickory-nut oil, and peltries of all kinds. These he carried to 
New-Orleans and Mobile in boats, and to Pensacola and Au- 
gusta on pack-horses. The hickory-nut oil was a luxury with 
French and Spanish epicures. It was manufactured by the 
Indians, in a simple manner — by boiling the cracked nuts in 
water, and skimming off the oil as it floated on the surface. 
Mordecai bought cotton of the Indians in small quantities, 
ginned it, and carried it to Augusta on pack-horses, in bags 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^9^ 

much smaller than those of the present day. He was a dark- chapter 
eyed Jew, and amorous in his disposition. Tourculla, (Capt. xxvn - 
Isaacs,) the Chief of the Coosawdas, hearing* of his intrigues 
with a married squaw, approached his house with twelve war- 
riors, knocked him down, thrashed him with poles until he lay 
insensible, cut off his ear, and left him to the care of his wife. 
They also broke up his boat, and burned down his gin-house. 
A pretty squaw was the cause of the destruction of the first 
cotton gin in Alabama.* 

General Bowles, quitting the island where Ellicott found 
him, boldly advanced into the Creek nation, disturbed the 
mild and beneficial influence which Hawkins had began to en- 
gender, declared his eternal hostility to Spain and the United 
States, and became an object of dread to all quiet minds, and a 
terror to all interests against which he acted. Among other 
outrages, he headed a party of Indians, advanced upon St. 
Marks, captured the fort, and plundered the store of Panton, 
Leslie & Co. Hawkins united with the Spanish authorities 
in a scheme to rid the country of a common enemy. A large 
secret reward was offered for his capture. A great feast was 1803 
given by the Indians at the town of Tuskegee, where the old 
French Fort Toulouse stood, to which Bowles and the Micca- 
soochy Chiefs were invited. They attended, and during the 
feast the unsuspecting freebooter was suddenly seized by con- 
cealed Indians, who sprang upon him, securely pinioned him, 

* Conversations with Lacklan Durant, James Moore, Abram 
Mordecai, and many other old traders. 



192 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHATTER 



1S03 



and placed him in a canoe full of armed warriors. They then 
XXVII. rapidly rowed down the river. Hawkins and John Forbes, of 

Pensacola, were in the town, but were concealed, until Sam 
McNac, a half-breed, had caused Bowles to be made a prisoner. 
Arriving at a point in the present 1 Dallas county* the canoe was 
tied up, the prisoner conducted upon the hank, and a guard 
set over him. In the night the guard tell asleep, when Howies 
gnawed his ropes apart, crept down the hank, got into the 
canoe, quietly paddled across the river, entered a thick cane 
swamp, and fled. At the break ot" day, the astonished Indians 
arose in great confusion, hut fortunately saw the canoe on the 
Opposite side, which Howies had foolishly neglected to shove 
off. Swimming over to that point, they got upon his track, 
and by the middle of the day once more made him a pri- 
soner, lie was conveyed to Mobile, and from thence to Ha- 
vana, where, after a few years, lie died in the dungeons o\' 
Moro Castle.* 

While the inhabitants of the eastern section were disturb- 
ed by Bowles, a notorious robber named Mason, was a terror 
to the people of the western part of the Mississippi Territory. 
During the occupancy of the country by the Spaniards, the 
lair of this remorseless human tiger was in a cave upon the 
Ohio, where he secreted his banditti, and the booty which he 
liad acquired in a long and bloody havoc upon the public, 
lie had now stationed himself upon the highway, between 

• Conversations with old trailers, who wore present when Bowles 
was captured. See also Indian Affairs, vol. 1. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^93 

New-Orleans and Natchez, with his two sons and their des- chapter 
perate associates. The Western people boated their produce xxvn - 
down the Mississippi — sold it in New-Orleans, purchased 
horses, and returned by this route to Natchez, and from thence 
to Nashville, laden with goods and money. This, therefore, 
offered the most extensive theatre for the operations of Ma- 
son and his banditti. Hence his sanguinary outrages were 
perpetrated one day in the Chickasaw nation, and the next 
upon Pearl river. At length, the people in all parts of the 
country were aroused by his inhuman murders, and every 
hand was raised against him. Governor Claiborne declared 
him an outlaw, and offered a large reward for his head. The 
proclamation was widely distributed, and fell into the hands 
of Mason ; and while he was reading it, with a smile of 1803 
scorn and contempt, a blow from behind felled him to the 
earth. His sons were out upon an expedition, and he was 
alone with two of his men, who, tempted by the reward, now 
cut off his head, and bore it to Washington, to Governor 
Claiborne. Fortunately, on account of a temporary lack of 
funds in the treasury, the reward was not paid. In the 
meantime, hundreds nocked to the governor's quarters to see 
the head of Mason, and it was recognized by many who had 
seen him. Among others, went two young men, whose re- 
spectable father Mason and his gang had waylaid and robbed, 
while they were with him. They immediately recognized his 
two associates, who brought in the head. These men were 
thrown into prison, condemned and hung, and the reward 



^94 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1803 
April 



chapter was thus saved to the territory, while Mason was also out o* 
xxvn - the way.* 

Down to this period, no Protestant preacher had ever 
raised his voice, to remind the Tombigby and Tensaw settlers 
of their duty to the Most High. Hundreds, born and bred 
in the wilderness, and now adult men and women, had never 
even seen a preacher. The mysterious and eccentric Lorenzo 
Dow, one day suddenly appeared at the Boat Yard. He 
came from Georgia, across the Creek nation, encountering its 
dangers, almost alone. He proclaimed the truths of the gos- 
pel here, to a large audience, crossed over the Alabama, and 
preached two sermons to the " Bigby settlers," and went from 
thence to the Natchez settlements, where he also exhorted 
the people to " turn from the error of their ways." He then 
visited the Cumberland region and Kentucky, and came back 
to the Tombigby, filling his appointments to the very day. 
Again plunging into the Creek nation, this holy man of God 
once more appeared among the people of Georgia.f 

As early as the summer of 1799, the Rev. Tobias Gibson, 
a Methodist missionary, from South-Carolina, visited the 
Natchez settlements, by way of the Cumberland and Ohio — 
organized religious societies in Washington and its vicinity, 
and then departed from the wilderness. In the fall of 1800, 

* Monette, vol. 2, pp. 351-353. Conversations with aged persons 
in Washington county, Alabama. 

•f- "Lorenzo Dow's complete works," pp. 76-101. 



1804 
December 27 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



195 



he again appeared, now as a missionary from the Tennessee chapter 
Conference, and formed societies from Bayou Pierre to the xxvn * 
Spanish line, numbering, collectively, two hundred church 
members. After performing the most arduous labor in the 
cause of our Divine Master, for three years, in this rude and 
savage land, he died. The Rev. Mr. Brown, another Metho- 
dist missionary, came from Tennessee in 1802, and brought 
with him, to the Natchez country, a mind stored with a 
knowledge of science, and a heart fervent with piety. He 
labored in Natchez until 1807. Montgomery and Hall, two 
reverend gentlemen of the Presbyterian order, also preached 
in Natchez for several years. The Baptists, too, sent a " la- 
borer into the vineyard," in the person of the Rev. David 
Cooper, who arrived in 1802. Dr. Cloud, of the Episcopal 
Church, was also sent to " proclaim the glad tidings." The 
efforts of these various sects were highly salutary, serving to 
soften and refine the people, and to banish much sin and vice 
from the worst region that ministers ever entered.* 

Congress established regulations respecting the English, 
Spanish and Georgia grants. Many of the inhabitants claim- 
ed extensive tracts of land under them. A land office was 
established at the town of Washington, and a board of com- 
missioners formed, composed of Thomas Rodney and Robert 
Williams, Avho proceeded to consider all claims arising under 
these grants, in a district extending from Pearl river to the 
Mississippi. They continued in office until the 3d July, 1807, 



1803 
March 3 



July 9 



* Monette, vol. 2, pp. 354-357. 



196 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter having recorded two thousand and ninety claims. Their acts 
xxvn * were sanctioned by the President. Another board of com- 
missioners, consisting of Joseph Chambers, Epham Kirby and 
1804 Robert Carter Nicholas, was formed at St. Stephens, upon the 

February 2 r ~> I 

Tombigby, whose district extended from Pearl river east- 
ward. They adjourned on the 21st December, 1805, having 
admitted to record two hundred and seventy-six claims, which 
the President likewise ratified. The inhabitants, living upon 
public lands about the time of Ellicott's survey, were after- 
wards allowed, by the government, a section of land ; ana 
those who came just before the board of commissioners was 
established, received a quarter section. Isaac Briggs was 
March 27 surveyor-general. The Territorial government was made to 
extend to the southern boundary of the State of Tennessee ; 
but the extinguishment of the Indian title had been obtained 
to no portion, except a strip seventy miles long, above and 
below Natchez, and extending back twenty miles, and the 
small district upon the Tombigby. The balance of the terri- 
tory was occupied by the Creeks, Cherokees, Chickasaws and 
Choctaws. 

Colonel James Caller, of North-Carolina, was one of the 
first representatives to the Legislative Council, from the coun- 
ty of Washington, Alabama. The first County Court of this 
county was held at Mcintosh Bluff, where John Caller, Cor- 
nelius Rain and John Johnson presided, with great frontier 
dignity. These Justices had no code before them, and coming 
from different States, decided cases according to the laws of 
their native land, so that most amusing differences of opinion 



1803 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



197 



often prevailed. This was the case all over the territory; but chapter 
the Justices from Georgia holding the laws of South-Caroli- xxvn * 
na, North-Carolina, Virginia, and the whole of New-England 
in great contempt, contended that the practice in the State 
from which they came, was alone correct. With their usual 
success, they generally managed to carry their points. 



198 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

GOVERNOR TROUP, OR THE McINTOSH FAMILY- 
INCIDENTS IN THE MISSISSIPPI TERRITORY. 

At the close of our last chapter, it was stated that the first 
xxviii. American court held in Alabama was at Mcintosh Bluff, 
which is situated upon the western bank of the Tombigby, 
between its confluence with the Alabama and the town of St. 
Stephens. Connected with this bluff, there is, to us, a pleasing 
historical reminiscence. Alabama has the honor of being the 
birth-place of George M. Troup, late Governor of Georgia, and 
who is one of the most vigorous and expressive political and 
epistolary writers of the age. His grandfather, Capt, John Mc- 
intosh, the Chief of the Mcintosh clan, was long attached to the 
army of West Florida, and his valuable services were reward- 
ed, by the King of England, with the grant of Mcintosh 
Bluff, and extensive tracts of land upon the Mississippi. He 
had a son, who was also a British officer, and a daughter, a 
native of Georgia. The latter, while on a visit to England, 
married an officer of the royal army, named Troup. She 
sailed from England to Mobile, and, arriving at the latter 
place, entered a barge, and went up the Tombigby river to 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^99 

the residence of her father, at Mcintosh Bluff, where, in the chapter 
wilds of Alabama, Governor Troup was born, in September, XXVIIL 
1*780. She had an uncle, named Roderick Mcintosh, or "Old 
Rory," as he was familiarly called, a most extraordinary cha- 
racter — a kind of Don Quixote, old Arab Chief, Scottish and 
Irish Chieftain, the Saladin and Cceur de Leon of chivalry. 
He was long an officer of his majesty's army, in Georgia 
and East Florida. Thus the father, brother, uncle and hus- 
band of this lady, the mother of George M. Troup, were all 
British officers, before the commencement of the revolution. 
Being removed from the scenes of that revolution, none of 
them may be said to have taken sides against it, except " Old 
Rory," who, during the war, was frequently in Georgia and 
East Florida, and, although far advanced in years, was, at all 
times, ready to storm any whig fortress that might present 
itself! Before he came to America, he had been the cham- 
pion of his native glen, in Scotland, and was strongly attached 
to the Stuart family. In 17*77, he was over sixty-five years 
of age. He was tall. His form was admirably proportioned 
for strength and activity. His complexion was ruddy, and 
his hair was white, frizzled and bushy. In walking, or rather 
striding, his step ordinarily embraced the space of four feet. 
He was not rich, but lived in ease and comfort, when not 
engaged in the actual service of the King. • He cared nothing 
for money. During the Spanish occupation of East Florida, 
he sold a drove of cattle in St. Augustine, and, receiving 
payment in specie, placed it in a bag, on his horse, and rode 
towards home. On the route, the canvass gave way, and 



200 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter many of the dollars fell upon the path. He secured those 
11 ' which were left, and pursued his journey, giving himself no 
, concern about those upon the ground. Some years after- 
wards, being in want of money, he recollected his loss, went 
to the place, picked up as many dollars as he wanted, and 
returned home. He was fond of dogs. He once laid a con- 
siderable bet that he could hide a doubloon, at three miles 
distance, and that his setter, which he had taught to take his 
back track, would find it. Luath presently went off on his 
trail, was gone some time, and returned panting, with his 
tongue out, but came without the doubloon. u Treason!" 
vociferated " Rory," and he walked rapidly to the place where 
he had hidden the money. He turned over the log, and found 
that Luath had torn up the earth in search of it. A man was 
seen, some distance off, engaged in the splitting of rails. 
Without ceremony, " Rory " drew his dirk, advanced upon 
him, and swore he would put him to death if he did not give 
up the doubloon. The man, very much alarmed, immediately 
handed him the coin, observing that, having seen Mcintosh 
put something under the log, he had gone to the place, and 
found the gold. " Rory," tossing him back the money, said 
" take it, vile caitiff; it was not the pelf, but the honor of my 
dog, I cared for." 

In 17*78, a portion of the garrison of St. Augustine, under 
General Provost, marched, by land, to join a force from New- 
York, to attack Savannah, then in the occupation of the 
whigs. " Rory " was a captain of light infantry, upon this 
expedition. On the march, they passed near a small whig 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



201 



XXVIII. 



fort, commanded by Captain, afterwards Colonel John Mc- chapter 
Intosh. Early one morning, when " Rory " had made rather 
free with the morning glass, he insisted on sallying out to 
summon the fort to surrender. His friends were unable to 
restrain him, and he presently advanced, with claymore in hand, 
followed by his faithful negro, Jim. Approaching the gate of 
the fort, he said, in an audible and commanding tone, " Surren- 
der, you miscreants ! how dare you presume to resist his ma- 
jesty's arms !" Captain Mcintosh knew him, and, forbidding 
any of his men to fire, threw open the gate, and said, " Walk 
in, cousin, and take possession." " No !" said Rory, with 
great indignation, " I will not trust myself with such vermin, 
but I order you to surrender." A rifle was fired at him, the 
ball of which passed through his face. He fell, but imme- 
diately recovered. He retreated backwards, flourishing his 
sword. His servant, seeing his face covered with blood, and 
hearing the shot falling around him, implored his master to 
face about, and run for his life. He replied, " Run, yourself, 
poor slave, but I am of a race that never runs." In this 
manner, he backed safely into the lines, flourishing his sword 
in defiance, and keeping his face to the enemy. 

Upon a certain occasion, "Rory " rode from St. Augustine 
to Savannah, and applied to his friend, Couper, for money to 
defray his expenses from that place to Charleston. Couper 
saw that something of an extraordinary character agitated 
him, and with difficulty learned the cause of his excitement. 
u That reptile in Charleston, Gadsden, has insulted my coun- 
try, and I will put him to death." " What has he done ?" 

VOL. IT. 11 



202 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter said Couper. "Why," said Rory, "on being asked how he 

XXVIII. 

meant to fill up his wharf, in Charleston, he replied, ' by im- 
ported Scotchmen, who were fit for nothing better.' " With 
great difficulty, the friends of Rory prevailed on him to return 
home. 

It would be an endless task to enumerate all the anecdotes 
in our possesion, in relation to this remarkable Highlander, 
the grand-uncle of Governor Troup. He was often in the 
Creek nation, and was the father of Colonel William Mcin- 
tosh, a half-breed Muscogee, of high character, whom the 
Upper ('reeks killed, for his friendship to the Georgians. 
"Rory " always dressed in the Highland costume. He was 
perfectly fearless in spirit, while his broadsword, wielded by 
one of the most powerful aims, caused streams of human 
blood to flow, in many desperate engagements. Although 
engaged in the rebellion of '45, King George was nevertheless 
much attached to him, and " Rory " was ready to die for that 
monarch, at any moment. 

There was another branch of the Mcintosh family — all, 
however, close connections of Governor Troup, by consan- 
guinity — who were conspicuous whigs in the revolution, citi- 
zens of Georgia, and men who occupied high ranks in the 
army. One of these was General Lachlan Mcintosh, who 
came out to Georgia with Oglethorpe, when a little boy, and 
the other, Colonel John Mcintosh, who also fought for liberty 
throughout the war. In later times, Colonel John S. Mcin- 
tosh, one of the same family, became a distinguished Ameri- 
can officer, was in the wars of 1813 and 1814, and recently, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



203 



in the Mexican war, was wounded at Resaca de la Palma, and chapter 
afterwards, at Molino del Rey, and died in the city of Mexico. XXVIII « 
The Mcintosh family was composed of people of marked cha- 
racter, all of whom were born to command. The blood al- 
ways exhibited itself, even when mixed with that of the Indian. 
After the revolution, the father of Governor Troup established 
himself in Georgia, became an American citizen, and was 
much esteemed and respected, to the day of his death. His 
body is interred at Belleville, Mcintosh county, and that of his 
wife in the family vault of General Lachlan Mcintosh, at Sa- 
vannah.* 

Napoleon Bonaparte had turned his eagle eye to the rich 
province of Louisiana, and it was ceded by Spain to France. 
He contemplated its occupation, with a large army, and pro- 
bably entertained designs of conquest against portions of the 
United States ; but, becoming deeply involved in wars with 
the whole of Europe, he reluctantly relinquished these inten- 
tions, and ceded Louisiana to the United States, for sixty 
millions of francs. Governor Claiborne, with a large num- 
ber of emigrants, who had already flocked to Natchez from all 
parts of the Union, for the purpose of occupying Louisiana, 
sailed down the Mississippi, with Wilkinson and his forces, 
and took formal possession of the city of New-Orleans, in behalf December 20 
of the United States. He had been appointed the Governor of 
the Louisiana Territory. He left the people of the Mississippi 
Territory, duly impressed with a deep sense of obligation for 



1801 
March 21 



1803 
April 30 



* MS. notes, in my possession. 



1804 
March 27 



204 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter his valuable public services. Cato West, the Territorial Secre- 
tary, discharged the executive duties until his successor arrived. 
The distance of Natchez from the Tombigby was so great, 
that Congress authorized the President to appoint an addi- 
tional Superior Court Judge, for the benefit of the people 
settled upon that river. The Hon. Harry Toulmin was se- 
lected. He was born at Taunton, in England, the 7th April, 
1766, and descended from a learned and respectable family. 
He became a pastor of the Unitarian church, at Chowbert, in 
Lancashire, in 1788, where he occupied a prominent position, 
officiating before a congregation of a thousand hearers. Be- 
coming an object of suspicion to the government, it deter- 
mined to silence not only his efforts, but those of every other 
person who indulged in an independent expression of opinion. 
Frequently threatened with personal injury, and often sur- 
rounded by mobs, who extended their violence to his private 
residence, as well as his church, Mr. Toulmin determined to 
seek a land where all religious opinions are tolerated. Land- 
ing at Norfolk, Virginia, he proceeded to Winchester, where 
he had the misfortune to lose two of his children. The year 
following, he became the President of Transylvania Univer- 
sity, of Lexington, the duties of which he discharged for four 
years. He was then Secretary of State, of Kentucky, for the 
long period of eight years, and wrote most of the public 
documents of that day. Having pursued the study of law, 
and attained great proficiency in it, he compiled a code of 
laws for Kentucky, in the most satisfactory manner. A fine 
writer, an excellent scholar, an amiable man, and a delightful 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



205 



fire-side companion, Judge Toulmin won upon the hearts of chapter 
his friends, and engaged the confidence of the public. He 
came to Alabama, by way of New-Orleans, settled at a can- 
tonment near Fort Stoddart, and afterwards removed to the 
court house, which he called Wakefield, in memory of Gold- 
smith's good vicar. His first court was held in the fall of 
1804, he having been diligently engaged, for several months 
previous, in arranging the judicial department of Washing- 
ton county. There was no newspaper here, and Thomas 
Malone, the clerk, advertised libels against boats, for smug- 
gling, in a New-Orleans paper, published by Bradford and 
Anderson. 

Fort Stoddart was now a prominent post. Captain Shaum- 1804 
berg retired from the command, which was assumed by Cap- 
tain Schuyler, of New- York, who had the command of eighty 
men. Lieutenant Reuben Chamberlain, now of Mobile, ar- 
rived at this station in June, as pay-master. Edmund Pen- 
dleton Gaines was then a lieutenant, under Captain Schuy- 
ler. Here the Court of Admiralty was "held, for it was a 
port of entry.* 

Robert Williams, of North-Carolina, appointed to succeed 
Governor Claiborne, arrived at the town of Washington, 1805 

January 28 

Mississippi, and partook of a public dinner, at which the 
Honorable Thomas Rodney presided. His staff consisted 
of William Scott, William B. Shields, William Woolridge 

* I have consulted some biographical notices of the life and charac- 
ter of Judge Toulmin — Conversations with Major Reuben Chamber- 
lain, of Mobile, and Thomas Malone. 



2Qg THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter and John C. Carmicbael, the first with the rank of colonel, 

XXVIII. 

and the others with that of major. 

Congress, having constituted the country upon the Tom- 
bigby a revenue district, known as the " district of Mobile," 
the most vigilant and annoying system of searches com- 
menced. The people, with just cause, considered it an unne- 
cessary restriction upon a weak and defenceless territory. 
Not only did Spain exact heavy duties, at the port of Mobile, 
upon American merchandize, destined for the American set- 
tlements above, but the Federal Government, which ought 
rather to have fostered and protected her wilderness-children, 
also exacted duties from them, at Fort Stoddart. These 
arbitrary revenue laws of Spain and the United States were 
applied, with equal severity, also, to whatever the persecuted 
settlers of Alabama chose to export — so that a Tombigby 
planter, sending his produce to New-Orleans, by way of 
Mobile, and exchanging it there for goods and supplies, 
paid, by the time he reached home, an ad valorem duty 
of twenty-five per cent. Vessels were required to pass 
under the guns of Fort Charlotte, and to submit to insult 
and search. The Spaniards valued the goods themselves, 
and imposed a duty of twelve and a half per cent. The 
1805 Federal Government remonstrated with Spain, in an exten- 
sive correspondence, but, we think, with a very ill grace, 
while restrictions were imposed by herself, upon her own 
people, at the port of Fort Stoddart. 

When the line of demarcation was established by Ellicott 
and the Spanish commissioners, those inhabitants — chiefly 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 207 

Spaniards, old British subjects and tones — living in the chapter 

XXVIII. 

Natchez district, retired below the line, within Spanish juris- 
diction, as the reader has already seen. Notwithstanding 
that General Wilkinson then entered into a convention with 
the Governor of Louisiana, for the mutual surrender of de- 
serters, and both sides adopted wise measures to prevent 
border disturbances, yet much prejudice and ill-feeling con- 
tinued to exist between the American settlers and Spaniards. 
No serious outbreaks, however, occurred, until after Louisiana 
was surrendered to the United States. A controversy then 
arose, in relation to a strip of country lying between the 
line of 31° on the north, the Bayou Iberville on the south,, 
the Mississippi on the west, and Pearl river on the east. 
This had been organized, by the Spaniards, into a district, 
called the " Government of Baton Rouge," and placed under 
the control of Don Carlos de Grandpre. It comprised the 
posts of Baton Rouge, Manchac, Thompson's Creek, and 
Bayou Sara. A controversy also arose, in relation to the 
country bounded by the Perdido on the east, Pearl river on 
the west, the line of 31° on the north, and the Gulf of Mexi- 
co on the south, which was the Spanish " Mobile district." 
The United States contended that these two districts should 
have been surrendered at the same time that the Island of New- 
Orleans and the country west of the Mississippi were given up ; 
that Bonaparte, in his treaty with Spain, acquired the whole 
of the Louisiana which belonged to France before 1762; that, 
when subsequently he ceded Louisiana to the United States, 
he ceded all which he had acquired from Spain, and, of course, 
11* 



208 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter the Baton Rouge and Mobile districts were included, for they 

XXVIII. 

once belonged to French Louisiana. Spain met these argu- 
ments, by assuming the positions, that, just before the close 
of the American revolution, she became herself engaged in 
a war with England ; that she took from Great Britain, by 
conquest, the Baton Rouge district, and that of Mobile, which 
was then a part of West Florida ; that, in 1783, Great Bri- 
tain confirmed these to her by treaty ; that, since then, she 
(Spain) had always considered these districts as a part of 
Spanish West Florida ; that Bonaparte only ceded to the 
United States Louisiana, not embracing, of course, the Baton 
Rouge and Mobile districts. 

The people of the Mississippi Territory, believing that the 
American government was right in this controversy, were 
impatient to occupy the rich lands in the Baton Rouge dis- 
trict, and were loud and open in their denunciations of the 
Spaniards. Border troubles commenced. Lieutenant John 
Glasscock, a subject of Spain, placed himself at the head of 
1805 twelve Spanish lii>ht-horse, crossed over the line, two miles, 

August 12 

into the Mississippi Territory, seized William Flannagin and 
his wife, and forcibly carried them fifteen miles, into Spanish 
territory. Here, finding that they were not the persons 
whom the authorities wanted, he turned them loose, to make 
their way back on foot, having retained their horse. This 
first open violation of American rights was followed up by one 
more serious. Many citizens of the Union had settled al- 
ready in the Baton Rouge district, while others lived near the 
line, ready to enter it when a suitable opportunity offered. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



209 



Among the most conspicuous of the latter class were Nathan chapter 
Reuben and Samuel Kemper, sons of a Baptist preacher, who 
emigrated from Loudon, Virginia, to Ohio. The}'' came to 
the Mississippi Territory in 1803, and established themselves 
at and near Pinckneyville, within a few miles of the Spanish 
line. Men of strong frontier sense, with a pleasing appear- 
ance and fine address, the Kempers were well suited to the 
times, and were dreaded by the Spaniards. They had ac- 
quired lands in the Baton Rouge district, under Spanish 
grants, which they knew would enrich them, could the coun- 
try once be occupied by Americans. Beginning to exert 
their influence, with an end to the expulsion of the Spaniards, 
Governor Grandpre determined to seize and imprison them. 
He despatched a company of kidnappers to the house of 
Nathan Kemper. They arrived there at 12 o'clock at night. Septem ber3 
They were Lewis Ritchie, Minor Butler, Abraham Horton, 

James Horton, Dr. Bomer, Henry Flowers, Jr., and 

McDermot, who were in disguise, and were citizens of the 
Mississippi Territory, but accomplices in the schemes of Grand- 
pre. Seven negroes were also in company with them. The 
party were armed with guns and clubs, and provided with 
ropes. They forced the door, entered the room in which 
Reuben Kemper was sleeping, dragged him from his bed, 
beat hi in with clubs, and then tied him. Some of them, 
at the same time, dragged Nathan Kemper from the bed, 
in which he was sleeping with his wife, who received some 
blows from their clubs, in the scuffle, one of the kidnappers 
crying out, " If she utters another word, I will kill her !" 



210 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Nathan was also severely beaten, and well secured with 

XXVIII. 

cords. The brothers begged to know what they had done. 
A voice answered, " You have ruined the Spanish country !" 
The party gagged them, by placing large sassafras roots in 
their mouths. Then, tying a line around their necks, they 
were made to run before the horses of the kidnappers, and 
were conducted to the Spanish line. At the same time, a 
branch of this party had entered the tavern of Samuel Kem- 
per, at Pinckneyville, the proprietor of which they seized, 
beat with clubs, gagged and pinioned. In running along, by 
the side of a horseman, this prisoner, unable to keep up, fell 
September 3 to the earth, and was cruelly dragged an hundred yards, by 
a rope around his neck. He, too, was conducted to the Span- 
ish line, where all three of the unhappy brothers were deli- 
vered to Captain Solomon Alston, who conveyed them, with 
a guard, to the Tunica Landing, where they were placed in a 
boat, also guarded, which was ordered to trans port them to 
Baton Rouge. In the meantime, a Dr. Towles, who had 
been visiting a patient, hearing of the outrage early in the 
morning, galloped his horse to Point Coupee, informed Lieu- 
tenant Wilson, the commandant at that place, who, with a 
file of soldiers, rescued the Kempers and captured the Spanish 
guard. They were all sent to the town of Washington, and 
the affair was legally investigated by Judge Rodney, and the 
parties were discharged. It, however, created much excite- 
ment, and Governor Williams formed a strong patrol, com- 
posed of two companies, at the head of which was Colonel 
John Ellis. After some sharp correspondence between the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



211 



governor and Colonel Grandpre, the people became quiet, chapter 
and border troubles ceased for a while. However, this shame- 
ful treatment of American citizens produced some excitement 
in Washington city, and John Randolph, of the committee 
of foreign relations, reported a bill, for the raising an army 
to repel and punish Spanish aggressors. But the friends of 
Jefferson's administration refused to adopt it.* 

Nothing but an Indian trail led from the Oconee to the 
Alabama river, at Lake Tensaw. The houses of accommoda- 
tion were few, kept by Indians and half-breeds, and were of 
the most indifferent kind. None of the rivers were provided 
with ferry-boats, nor were the creeks bridged. The Federal 
Government, desiring to open a better avenue to the new 
country, obtained, from a delegation of thirty Creek Chiefs November 14 
and warriors, then at Washington city, the right of using a 
horse-path through their country, along which the Chiefs 
agreed to establish ferries and bridges, and to open good 
houses of accommodation. The Cherokees, at Tellico Block- October 7 
house, granted the right for a mail route, from Knoxville to 
New-Orleans, by way of the Tombigby. The United States 
also acquired more territory from the Chickasaws, who ceded July 23 
about three hundred and fifty thousand acres, lying in the 
bend of the Tennessee, a very small portion of which, in the 
shape of a triangle, fell into Alabama, and was afterwards 
formed into the county of Madison. At Mount Dexter, the November 16 

* American State Papers, Boston edition, vol. 5, pp. 103-124. Also 
historical MS. notes, in the possession of Mr. E. T. Wood, of Mobile. 



212 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Choctaws ceded to the government five millions of acres, 
xxviii. coramenc i n g a t the Cut-Off, at a point half way between 
the Alabama and Tombigby, running north to the Choc- 
taw corner, west to Fulluctabuna Old Fields, thence across 
the Tombigby to the Mississippi settlements, thence south 
to Ellicott's line, and east along that line, back to the Cut-Off.* 

Thus the whole southern portion of the present State of 
Mississippi was thrown open to the Americans. The new 
purchase was soon formed into three counties — Marion, 
Wayne and Greene. A population from Georgia and Ten- 
nessee poured into the magnificent forest north of the Ten- 
nessee, about " Hunt's Spring," which had been obtained from 
the Chickasaws, as just mentioned. The population of the Mis- 
sissippi Territory had much increased, Natchez had become 
a large town, where boats going down and up the great 
river landed and traded, while the crews engaged in fights, 
drunkenness, gambling, and all kinds of debaucheries. It 
was the greatest thoroughfare in the whole forest world, 
and was decidedly a most abandoned place. 

The subject of education was not neglected, and Jefferson 
College had been established at Ellicott's Spring, in the vi- 
cinity of the town of Washington. Many improvements, 
in the way of houses, farms and new towns, gave the terri- 
tory an air of civilization. 

* Indian Affairs and Land Laws. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 213 



XXIX. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE ARREST OF AARON BURR, IN ALABAMA. 

Aaron Burr — a descendant of a learned ancestry, a native chapter 
of New-Jersey, a graduate of Princeton, a whig colonel of 
the Revolution, a lawyer of ability, a leading member of the 
New-York Legislature, a States' Attorney-General, a Senator 
of the United States, a Vice-President of the Union — at 
length found himself nominated, by the republican party of 
New-York, as a candidate for the office of Governor of that 
State. Among his most formidable enemies was Alexander 
Hamilton, whom he, not long after, killed in a duel. The 
tide of public opinion set strongly against him, in conse- 
quence of this unfortunate affair, and he was swept into exile 
upon the sea-coast of Carolina. He, however, returned to 
Washington, and presided over the Senate, until the expira- 
tion of his term of office, as Vice-President. 

A warrant, for the killing of Hamilton, in the hands of the of- 
ficers of justice, prevented Burr from returning to New-York. 
He had, likewise, become unpopular with the friends of Jefferson, 
with whom he had been a close competitor for the Presidency. 
Of course, he had no friends among the prominent federalists, 



1804 
July 11 



1805 
March 4 



214 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chatter against whom he had always acted. These things combined 

XXIX. 

to make him long for brighter prospects, in the South- West. 
In 1805, he travelled through Kentucky and Tennessee, en- 
joying the society of Clay and Jackson, besides that of 
many other distinguished persons. From January until 
August of the following year, his hours were passed in Wash- 
ington and Philadelphia, consumed in revolving schemes, the 
consummation of which, he believed, would elevate him above 
his fallen condition. 

Burr had purchased a portion of the lands granted by the 
King of Spain to Baron Bastrop, which lay between the 
Sabine and Natchitoches. His designs appear to have been 
the colonization of these lands, the expulsion of the Span- 
iards, the conquest of Texas, and, ultimately, of Mexico. To 
effect these things, it was necessary to raise a large armed 
force, in the West. He believed, also, that a war would soon 
ensue between the United States and Spain, and he expected, 
in that event, to co-operate with General Wilkinson, who had 
charge of the Western and Southern army. Upon his death- 
bed, Burr denied that he had any intention of dismembering 
the Union, and, as he had then arrived at the age of eighty, 
and outlived both his descendants and his reputation, it would 
seem that there was no inducement to conceal any act of his 
life. 

Burr again made his appearance in the Western country, 
where his plausibility captivated the people, who made active 
preparations to carry out bis designs. Boats were constructed 
and stored with provisions and concealed arms. General 



1806 
Summer 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 215 



Wilkinson -was suspected of having countenanced his enter- 
prise. Rumors had reached President Jefferson, that Burr 
was raising troops for the purpose of dismembering the 
Union. He caused him to be arrested at Lexington, where 
Clay appeared in his defence. Burr was discharged, for the 
want of sufficient evidence to convict him. Then, descend- 
ing the Cumberland river, and the Mississippi, with thirteen 
boats and sixty men, he was met, some miles above Natchez, by 
Colonel F. L. Claiborne, whom the Governor of the Mississippi 
Territory, influenced by the proclamations of J efferson, had des- 
patched, at the head of a detachment of two hundred and sev- 
enty-five men, for the purpose of arresting him. Burr surren- 
dered his boats and men, and proceeded, with Claiborne, to the 
town of Washington, once more a prisoner of the United 
States. The people, generally, sympathized with him, and 
thought him much wrono-ed. He was honored with balls 
and parties in Adams county. He found no difficulty in 
giving bonds, in the sum of ten thousand dollars, for his ap- 
pearance at court. When it convened, he appeared, with his 
counsel, and demanded a release from his bonds, as the Attor- 
ney-General stated that he was satisfied his offences did not 
come within the jurisdiction of Mississippi, and insisted on his 
being sent to a competent tribunal. The motion of the At- 
torney-General was sustained, and Burr's application for a 
discharge was overruled by the Judges. The next morning 
the prisoner did not make his appearance in the court room, 
and it was soon ascertained that he had fled. A troop of 
cavalry was despatched in pursuit of him, while the governor 



CHAPTER 
XXIX. 



1806 
December 6 



1807 
January 



215 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter distributed proclamations over the country, which promised 

XXIX. 

a reward of two thousand dollars for his apprehension. His 
destination was unknown. 

* * * * * * 

During a cold night in February, two young men — Nicho- 
las Perkins, a lawyer, and Thomas Malone, clerk of the 
court — were sitting in their cabin, in the village of Wakefield, 
Washington county, Alabama. Before them was a back- 
gammon board, and they were absorbed in the playing of 
that game. The hour was ten o'clock. The distant tramp 
of horses arrested their attention. Two travellers presently 
rode up to the door, one of whom inquired for the tavern. 
It was pointed out to him, and then he asked the road to Colo- 
nel Hinson's. Perkins informed him that the route lay over 
difficult paths, the place was seven miles distant, and a danger- 
ous creek intervened. The fire, being replenished with pine, 
now threw a light in the face of the traveller who propounded 

1807 these questions. His countenance appeared to Perkins ex- 
February 18 

ceedingly interesting. His eyes sparkled like diamonds, 

while he sat upon his splendid horse, caparisoned with a fine 
saddle and new holsters. His dress was that of a plain 
farmer, but beneath his coarse pantaloons protruded a pair 
of exquisitely shaped boots. His striking features, with the 
strange mixture of his apparel, aroused the suspicions of 
Perkins, and, no sooner had the two travellers ridden from 
the door, than he said to Malone, with the most earnest ges- 
ticulation, " That is Aaron Burr. I have read a description 
of him in the proclamation. I cannot be mistaken. Let us 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



217 



1807 
February 18 



follow him to Hinson's, and take measures for his arrest." chapter 
Malone declined to accompany him, remonstrating, at the 
same time, upon the folly of pursuing a traveller, at such a 
late hour of the night, and upon the basis of the merest 
conjecture. Perkins now rushed to the cabin of Theodore 
Brightwell, the sheriff, and awoke him. Presently these men 
were seen riding off with a rapid pace. The night was bitter 
cold, and the pine trees of the forest sadly moaned. 

The travellers strangely made their way to the residence of 
Hinson, where they arrived about half past eleven o'clock. The 
moon had just risen, and enabled the lady of the house, 
whose husband was absent, to see that they were travellers, 
by their saddle-bags and tin cups, as she timidly peeped 
through a small window. She made no answer to their 
"halloo," but quietly closed the window. The strangers 
alighted and went into the kitchen, where a cheerful tire was 
yet .burning. Perkins and the sheriff soon came in sight of 
the house. The former, recollecting that he had already been 
seen at Wakefield, thought it politic to remain in the woods, 
until Brightwell could go in the house, make the necessary 
discoveries, and return to him. Mrs. Hinson was a relative 
of the sheriff, and, recognizing his voice, felt relieved, by his 
appearance, from the fears she had felt, in consequence of the 
strangers having come at such a late hour of the night. 
Brightwell repaired to the kitchen, and discovered one of 
these men sitting by the fire, with his head down, while a 
handkerchief partially concealed his face. His companion 
had gone to the stable, to assist a negro in taking care of the 



218 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter horses. It was not long before they went into the main 

building, where the hostess had hastily prepared supper. 

While the elder traveller was eating, he engaged her in a 

sprightly conversation, in which he often thanked her for her 

kindness. At the same time, he cast the keenest glances at 

1807 the sheriff, who stood before the fire, evidently with the en- 
February 18 J 

deavor to read his thoughts and intentions. After he had 
finished his supper, he arose from the table, bowed to the 
lady, walked back to the kitchen and took his seat by the 
fire. Mrs. Hinson then turned to his companion, and said, 
"Have 1 not, sir, the honor of entertaining Colonel Burr, the 
gentleman who has just walked out?" He gave her no an- 
swer, but rose from the table, much embarrassed, and also 
repaired to the kitchen. Her question had been prompted 
by Briglitwell. In the morning, after breakfast, the elder 
traveller sought an interview with the lady, took occasion 
Februarys again to thank her for her hospitable attentions, regretted the 
absence of her husband, inquired the route to Pensacola, and 
rode off with his companion. 

Perkins remained at his post in the woods, shivering with 
cold, and wondering why Brightwell did not return to him. 
His patience at length became exhausted, and, believing the 
person he was pursuing to be really Burr, he mounted his 
horse, and rode rapidly to the house of Joseph Bates, St., at 
Nannahubba Bluff. Procuring from that gentleman a negro 
and a canoe, he paddled down the river, and arrived at Fort 
Stoddart at the breaking of day. Rushing into the fort, and 
acquainting Captain Edmund P. Gaines with his suspicions, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 219 



the latter made instant preparations to take the road. After chapter 

XXIX 

a hasty breakfast, about the. rising of the sun, Gaines, placing 
himself at the head of a file of mounted soldiers, rode off Feb J u ° 7 ryl9 
with Perkins. About nine o'clock that morning they met the 
two mysterious travellers, on the descent of a hill, near a wolf- 
pen, at the distance of two miles from the residence of Hin- 
son. The following conversation immediately ensued : 

Gaines. — I presume, sir, I have the honor of addressing- 
Colonel Burr. 

Stranger. — I am a traveller in the country, and do not 
recognize your right to ask such a question. 

Gaines. — I arrest you, at the instance of the Federal Go- 
vernment. 

Stranger. — By what authority do you arrest a traveller 
upon the highway, on his own private business ? 

Gaines. — I am an officer of the army. I hold in my 
hands the proclamations of the President and the Governor, 
directing your arrest. 

Stranger. — You are a young man, and may not be aware 
of the responsibilities which result from arresting travellers. 

Gaines. — I am aware of the responsibilities, but I know 
my duty. 

The stranger now became exceedingly animated, and, with 
much eloquence and force, denounced these proclamations, as 
documents which had emanated in malevolent feeling, without 
any just foundation, and endeavored again to frighten the 
young officer from discharging his duty, by ingeniously ani- 
madverting upon the great liabilities which he was about to 



220 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter assume. But Gaines sternly replied, " My mind is made up. 

XXIX 

You must accompany me to Fort* Stoddart, where you shall 
February 19 be treated with all the respect due the ex- Vice-President of 
the United States, so long as you make no attempt to escape 
from me." The stranger, for a moment, gazed at him with 
earnestness, apparently surprised at the unusual firmness which 
the young officer exhibited. He then assented, by a gentle 
motion of his head, wheeled his horse around, and took the 
road to the fort, riding by the side of the captain. His tra- 
velling companion rode back towards Wakefield, with Bright- 
well, the sheriff, who was in company with the two travellers 
when they were met by Gaines.* 

The party reached the fort in the evening, and Colonel 
Burr, being conducted to his room, took his dinner alone. 

* It remains a mystery, to this day, why Brightwell did not keep his 
promise with Perkins, and I can only account for it by supposing that 
he became fascinated with Colonel Burr, was sorry that he had sought 
to arrest him, and was now conducting him to Mrs. Carson's ferry, 
upon the Tombigby, on the route to Pensacola. Burr had seen Colo- 
nel Hinson at Natchez, who had invited him to his house, should he 
ever pass that way. When he escaped from Natchez, he was secreted, 
from time to time, at the houses of his friends, and he was hastening to 
Hinson's, with whom he had intended to pass a week. But when he 
found him absent, and himself discovered by Brightwell, who probably 
informed him of the intentions of Perkins, he determined to fly to 
Pensacola, and there take a ship for Europe. He intended to enlist 
wealthy and influential persons, both in England and France, in the 
scheme of making the conquest of the North American Spanish posses- 
sions, now that he had so signally failed to accomplish it in the United 
States. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



221 



Late in the night, he heard a groan in an adjoining room, chapter 
He arose from a table, at which- he was reading, opened the XXIX - 
door, entered the room, and approached the bedside of Geo. Februarys 
S. Gaines, the brother of the commandant, who was sick. 
He was kind to the sufferer, felt of his pulse, said he had tra- 
velled much and knew something of medicine, and offered his 
services. They now entered into an agreeable conversation. 
Burr asked the Choctaw factor many questions about the 
Indians, and their commerce. The next day he appeared at 
the dinner table, and was introduced to the wife of the com- 
mandant, who was the daughter of Judge Harry Toulmin. 
In the evening, he played chess with that accomplished lady, 
and, during his confinement at the fort, was often her com- 
petitor in that intricate game. Every night he sought 
the company of the invalid, who became exceedingly attached 
to him, and who felt deep regret on account of the downfall 
of so interesting and so distinguished a character. Often and 
often did the good heart of George S. Gaines grieve over the 
adversities and trials of this remarkable man, as they dis- 
coursed together. In all their conversations, maintained every 
night, the impenetrable Burr never once alluded to the de- 
signs which he had failed to carry out, to his present arrest, 
or to his future plans. 

In the meantime, Captain Gaines had been untiring in his 
exertions to fit out an expedition, for the conveyance of his 
distinguished prisoner to the federal city. At length he 
placed Burr in a boat, along with a file of soldiers, and he About the pe- 

r & riod of 

was rowed up the Alabama river, and then into Lake Tensaw. March 5 

VOL. II. 12 



222 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Passing some houses on the banks, several ladies wept, upon 
XXIX * seeing the ex-Vice-President a prisoner, and one of them 
named a son for him. Everywhere, in the South- West, the 
ladies were attached to the man, and suffered their feelings to 
become enlisted in behalf of his unfortunate enterprises. It 
is a prominent and noble trait in the female character, to ad- 
mire a man of daring and generous impulses, and to pity 
and defend him in his adversities !* 

Arriving at the Boat Yard, Burr disembarked, and was 
delivered to the guard which was so long to be with him, in 
dangers and fatigues. It consisted of Colonel Nicholas Per- 
kins, of Tennessee, who had, as we have seen, been the cause 
of his arrest, Thomas Malone, formerly a clerk in the land 

About the pe . °^ ce j at Raleigh, North-Carolina, but who, at this period, 
Mareh f 6 was a c ^ eY ^ °^ ^ ie court °* Washington county, Alabama, 
Henry B. Slade, of North-Carolina, John Mills, a native of 
Alabama, John Henry, of Tennessee, two brothers, named 
McCormack, of Kentucky, and two federal soldiers. With 
the exception of the two soldiers, Perkins had chosen these 
men, on account of the confidence which he reposed in their 
honor, energy and fidelity. He had been placed over them 
by Captain Gaines, who entertained a high opinion of his 
bravery and ' capacity. Perkins took his men aside, and 
obtained from them the most solemn pledge that they would 

* Burr was not only popular with the ladies, but tl ie most prominent 
men in the South- West favored his enterprise, as ihey had long been 
anxious for the expulsion of the Spaniards. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 223 

not suffer the prisoner to influence them, in any manner, in chapter 

his behalf; to avoid which, they promised to converse as little 

as possible with him, upon the whole route to Washington. About the pe- 
riod of 
The character of Burr, for making strong impressions in his March 6 

favor, upon the human mind, was well known to Perkins. 

When the prisoner fled from the Natchez settlements, he 
assumed a disguise-dress. He was still attired in it. It con- 
sisted of coarse pantaloons, made of homespun, of a copperas 
dye, and a round-about, of inferior drab cloth, while his hat 
was a flapping, wide-brimmed beaver, which had, in times 
past, been white, but now presented a variety of dingy colors. 
When the guard was ready to depart, he mounted the same 
elegant horse which he rode when arrested. He bestrode 
him most gracefully, flashed his large dark eyes upon the 
many bystanders, audibly bade them farewell, and departed.* 
Perkins and his men were well provided with large pistols, 
which they carried in holsters, while the two soldiers had 
muskets. They left the Boat Yard, a quarter of a mile from 
which the terrible massacre of Fort Mims afterwards occurred, 
and, pursuing the Indian path, encamped the first night in 
the lower part of the present county of Monroe. The only 
tent taken along was pitched for Burr, and under it he lay 
the first night, by large fires, which threw a glare over the 
dismal woods. All night, his ears were saluted with the 

* Many persons, who saw Burr in Alrbama, have told me that his 
eyes were peculiarly brilliant, and, to use the comparison of Malone, 
" they looked like stars." 



224 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter fierce and disagreeable howling of wolves. In the wilds of 

XXIX 

Alabama, in a small tent, reposed this remarkable man, sur- 
rounded by a guard, and without a solitary friend or conge- 
nial spirit. He was a prisoner of the United States, for 
whose liberties he had fought, and an exile from New- York, 
whose statutes and institutions bore the impress of his mind. 
Death had deprived him of his accomplished wife, his only 
child was on the distant coast of Carolina, his professional 
pursuits were abandoned, his fortune swept from him, the 
magnificent scheme of the conquest of Mexico defeated, and he 
was harassed from one end of the Union to the other. All 
these things were sufficient to weigh down an ordinary being, 
and hurry him to the grave. Burr, however, was no common 
man. In the morning he rose, with a cheerful face, and fell 
into travelling order, along with the taciturn and watchful 
persons who had charge of him. 

Although guarded with vigilance, he was treated with 
respect and kindness, and his few wants were gratified. The 
J 807 ^ trail, like all Indian highways, was narrow, which required 
the guard to march in single file, with Burr in the middle 
of the line. The route lay about eight miles south of the 
present city of Montgomery, then an Indian town, called 
Econchate.* Passing by the residence of " Old Milly," who, 
as we have seen, lived upon the creek in Montgomery county, 
which still bears her name, Perkins employed her husband, a 
mulatto, named Evaus, to conduct the guard across Line 

* Econchate means Hed Ground. 



March 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



225 



Creek, Cubahatchee and Calabee, all of which they were chapter 
forced to swim. It was a perilous and fatiguing march, and, XXIX - 
for days, the rain descended, in chilling torrents, upon these 
unsheltered horsemen, collecting in deep and rapid rivulets 
at every point. Hundreds of Indians, too, thronged the 
trail, and the party might have been killed in one moment. 
But the fearless Perkins bore on his distinguished prisoner, 
amid angry elements and human foes. In the journey through 
Alabama, the guard always slept in the woods, near swamps 
of reed, upon which the belled and hobbled horses fed during 
the night. After breakfast, it was their custom again to 
mount their horses and march on, with a sileuce which was 
sometimes broken by a remark about the weather, the creeks 
or the Indians. Burr sat firmly in the saddle, was always on 
the alert, and was a most excellent rider. Although drenched 
for hours with cold and clammy rain, and at night extended Jr 807 h 
upon a thin pallet, on the bare ground, after having accom- 
plished a ride of forty miles each day, yet, in the whole dis- 
tance to Richmond, this remarkable man was never heard 
to complain that he was sick, or even fatigued. At the Chat- 
tahoochie was a crossing-place, owned by an Indian named 
Marshall, where the effects of the expedition were carried 
over the river in canoes, by the sides of which the horses 
swam. In this manner they passed the Flint and Ockmulgee. 
Arriving at Fort Wilkinson, on the Oconee, Perkins entered 
the first ferry-boat which he had seen upon the whole route, 
and, a few miles beyond the river, was sheltered by the 
first roof — a house of entertainment, kept by one Bevin. 



1807 
March 



226 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter While breakfast was in a state of preparation, and the 
xxix. g liarc | were quietly sitting before a large fire, the publican 
began a series of questions ; and learning that the party were 
from the u Bigby settlement," he immediately fell upon the 
fruitful theme of " Aaron Burr, the traitor." He asked if he 
had not been arrested — if he was not a very bad man — and 
if every one was not afraid of him. Perkins and the rest of 
the guard, much annoyed and embarrassed, hung down their 
heads, and made no reply. Burr, who was sitting in a corner 
near the fire, majestically raised his head, and flashing his 
fiery eye upon Bevin, said, 

" I am Aaron Burr ! — what is it you want with me ?" 
Struck witfi the keenness of his look, the solemnity of his 
voice and the dignity of his manner, Bevin stood aghast, and 
trembled like a leaf. He asked not another question of the 
guard, but quietly moved about the house, offering the most 
obsequious attentions. 

When Perkins reached the confines of South-Carolina, he 
watched the prisoner more closely than ever ; for, in this 
State lived Colonel Joseph Alston — a man of talents and 
influence, afterwards governor — who had married the only 
daughter, and, indeed, the only child of Burr. Afraid that 
the prisoner would be rescued at some point in this State, he 
exhorted his men to renewed vigilance. Before entering the 
town, in which is situated the Court House of Chester Dis- 
trict, South-Carolina, he made a halt, and placed two men 
in front of Burr, two behind, and two on either side of him. 
In this manner they passed near a tavern, at the Court House, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 227 

where many persons were standing in front of the portico, chapter 
while music and dancing were heard in the house. Seeing XXIX « 
the collection of men so near him, Burr threw himself from 
his horse, and exclaimed, in a loud voice, " I am Aaron 

-r> 1807 

JDURR, UNDER MILITARY ARREST, AND CLAIM THE PROTECTION March 

of the civil authorities !" Perkins, with several of the 
guard, immediately dismounted, and the former ordered the 
prisoner to re-mount. Burr, in a most defiant manner, said, 
" I will not !" Being unwilling to shoot him, Perkins 
threw down his pistols — both of which he held in his hands — 
and seizing Burr around the waist, with the grasp of a tiger, 
threw him into his saddle. Thomas Malone caught the reins 
of the prisoner's horse, slipped them over his head, and led the 
animal rapidly on, while others whipped him up from behind. 
The astonished citizens saw a party enter their village with a 
prisoner, heard him appeal to them for protection in the most 
audible and imploring manner, saw armed men immediately 
surround him and thrust him again into his saddle, and then 
the whole party vanish from their presence, before they could 
recover from their confusion. The least timidity or hesitation 
on the part of Perkins, would have lost him his prisoner, for 
the latter was still popular in South-Carolina. 

Far in the outskirts of the town the party halted. Burr 
was in a high state of excitement, and burst into a flood of 
tears. The kind-hearted Malone also wept, at seeing the low 
condition to which this conspicuous man was now reduced. 
The bold attempt to escajJI, and the irresolution of the people 
to whom he appealed, suddenly unmanned him. Perkins held 
12* 



228 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1807 
March 30 



chapter a short consultation with some of his men, and sending Burr 
on the route in charge of the guard, with Mai one in command, 
lie went back to the village, and purchasing a gig, overtook 
the party before night. Burr was placed in this vehicle, and 
driven by Malone, escorted by the guard. Without further 
incident, they arrived at Fredericksburg, where despatches 
from Jefferson caused them to take Burr to Richmond. The 
ladies of the latter place vied with each other in contributing 
to the comforts of the distinguished ex-Vice-President, sending 
him fruits, wine, and a variety of fine apparel. Perkins and 
his men repaired to Washington, reported to the President, 
and returned to Alabama by the distant route of Tennessee. 

Aaron Burr was arraigned for treason, and was tried and 
acquitted. He was then arraigned for misdemeanor, and was 
tried and acquitted. Thus ended the most expensive and 
extraordinary trial known to the country. A part of the time 
that he was in Richmond, the Federal Government caused 
him to be confined in the upper story of the penitentiary, 
where he was permitted to enjoy the company of his daughter. 
Sailing to Europe, Burr was, at first, treated with great dis- 
tinction in England. The winter of 1809 found him in Edin- 
burgh. Residing some time in Sweden and Germany, he, at 
length, arrived in France, where Bonaparte, influenced by let- 
ters from America, conceived a prejudice again him so im- 
movable, that he refused him passports to leave the country. 
At length, the Duke de Bassano procured him the necessary 
documents, when he sailed for Arnerica, and arrived at New- 
York on the 8th of June, 1812. Here he engaged again in the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 229 

lucrative practice of the law, living in dignified obscurity, if chapter 

XXIX* 

such a position could be assigned to a man of his notoriety. 
He died, at Staten Island, on the 11th of September, 1836, at 
the advanced age of eighty. His body, attended by his rela- 
tions and friends, was taken to Princeton, New-Jersey, and inter- 
red among the graves of his ancestors. 

With the private character of Burr, we conceive we have 
nothing to do, except to add that we believe hi in to have been 
a most profligate and licentious man. When the world put 
him down — when he received nothing but abuse and ingrati- 
tude from those who once sycophantically surrounded him, and 
whom he had helped to offices of honor and profit — when he 
was shunned by his old companions in arms, not invited into 
the society of the refined, but w r as pointed at, in walking 
Broadway, as the murderer and the traitor — he became dis- 
heartened and soured; and, being without those religious 
feelings which sustain the most unfortunate, he threw off every 
restraint, and gave a loose rein to sentiments always unprin- 
cipled, and to passions always strong.* 

* In relation to Bun's arrest in Alabama, and his journey through 
the wilderness, I conversed with Mr. Thomas Malone, one of his guard % 
with Mrs. Hinson, now Mrs. SturiUvant, at whose hou?e Burr passed the 
flight when he was discovered ; with Mr. George S. Gaines, who wa9 
at Fort Stoddart when he was brought there ; and with Mrs. Howse, 
who saw him when they were conducting him up Lake Tensaw. I 
also corresponded with Major-General Gaines, and have his testimony. 
All these witnesses are as reputable and as re.-pectable- as any persons 
in Alabama. 

On the subject of Burr's early life, and of his operations in the 



230 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter O ne f the gravest facts proved against Burr, at his trial, at 

XXIX. 

Richmond, upon the evidence of General Wilkinson, was that 
the prisoner, in a letter written to him in cypher, " avowed his 
design of seizing upon Baton Rouge, as a preliminary measure, 
and, afterwards, extending his conquests into the Spanish prov- 
inces." Admitting this to be true, it did not prove that he 
intended to dismember the Union. Our readers have already 
seen that the Federal Government, and the people of the 
South- West, desired the expulsion of the Spaniards from the 
Baton Rouge district, which was a part of the purchase from 
Napoleon, when he sold us Louisiana ; and hereafter, it will 
be seen, that these Spaniards were driven from the Baton 
Rouge district only three years after Burr's trial, when the 
governor of it, Colonel Grandpre, was killed. In the citizens 
of the South -West, who accomplished this end, it was not 
held to be treason — but Burr, for merely contemplating it, 
was tried for that crime. It was not considered treason, when 
President Jackson allowed hundreds of people of the South- 
West to be shipped from Mobile and New-Orleans, with arms 
in their hands, who presently landed upon the coast of Texas, 
and took that country from the Spaniards — but, for similar 
designs, Aaron Burr was hunted down, thrown into prison, 
and tried for treason. The impartial reader must arrive at 

Western country, I consulted Memoirs of Aaron Burr, by M. L. Davis ; 
the various American State Papers ; Clarke's Proofs of the Corruption 
of Wilkinson ; Memoirs of Wilkinson, by himself, Familiar Letters 
upon Public Characters, and many other works. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 231 

the conclusion, that the faults of Burr, in a political and public chapter 

XXIX. 

capacity, were not such as ought really to have placed that 
odium upon him which still attaches to his name. One of the 
great secrets of his political misfortunes, lay in the prejudices 
and malevolence of politicians and fanatics. Somebody heard 
General Washington say, that "Burr was a dangerous man ;" 
thereupon, the world set him down as a " dangerous man." 
He killed Hamilton in a duel, because Hamilton abused him ; 
thereupon the world said he was a " murderer." He was a 
formidable rival of Jefferson, in the contest for the Presidency; 
thereupon, a majority of the republican party said he was a 
political scoundrel. He had always opposed the federal 
party ; for that reason, the federal party hated him with ex- 
ceeding bitterness. A blundering, extravagant man, named 
Herman Blannerhassett, sought Burr, while he was in the 
West, eagerly enlisted in his schemes, and invited him to his 
house; thereupon, William Wirt said, in his prosecuting 
speech, that Burr " was the serpent who entered the garden 
of Eden." 

We do not wish to be considered as the defender of Aaron 
Burr. We do not admire his character, or that of many of 
his distinguished contemporaries, who assailed him. But, as 
a historian, we are expected to write the truth, even if that 
truth is unpalatable to the prejudices of the ao;e. 



032 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

ST. STEPHENS— HUNTSVILLE— INDIAN COM- 
MERCE— KEMPER EXPEDITIONS. 

chapter The military movements of Burr increased the population 
xxx * and wealth of the Mississippi Territory, for hundreds of his 
followers became permanent citizens. About this time the 
cultivation of indigo was much abandoned for that of cotton, 
and some salutary laws were enacted in relation to the toll for 
ginning the latter staple. The cotton receipts obtained from the 
owner of a gin were also made a legal tender, and passed as 
domestic bills of exchange. St. Stephens was laid off into 
town lots. A road was cut out from thence to the city of 
Natchez. Notwithstanding the revenue exactions upon the 
settlers, which now subjected them, by means of the Span- 
ish custom-house at Mobile, and the American at Fort 
Stoddart, to a duty of from forty-two to forty-seven per 
cent, ad valorem, for articles essential to family comfort, while, 
at the same time, their fellow-citizens about Natchez were 
entirely free from such exactions, paying only four dollars per 
barrel for Kentucky flour, when the Tombigby planter paid 
sixteen — yet they remained loyal to the Federal Government; 



1807 
December 7 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. # 233 

and both whigs and tories participated in an animated pub- chapter 

XXX 

lie meeting at Wakefield, pledging their support to the United 
States, to avenge the wanton attack of the British upon the Septembers 
American ship Chesapeake, in a string of eloquent and patri- 
otic resolutions, drafted by James McGoffin. 

The little town of Huntsville, north of the Tennessee, con- 
tin uedto receive around it many wealthy emigrants from seve- 
ral of the Atlantic and Western States. Governor Williams 
issued a proclamation, forming a county, of which this became ^ 18c ® „ 

1 o ■ ji Decemberl3 

the court house. The new county of Madison, where it 
joined the Tennessee line, was about twenty five miles wide, 
and approached the Tennessee river in the shape of a triangle, 
not exceeding three miles wide at Ditto's Landing. It em- 
braced all the territory that fell within Alabama, to which the 
Indian title was extinguished by the treaty with the Chicka- 
saws, in 1805. 

The Mississippi Territory continued to improve. The forests 
began to be extensively felled ; houses were reared as if by 
magic ; the preacher was zealous in the discharge of his di- 
vine mission ; the " schoolmaster was abroad ;" the medical 
and legal professions nourished ; the merchants drove a good 
business ; the mechanics received constant employment and 
high wages — while the farmer worked for them all, and re- 
ceived his due reward. These remarks apply more particu- 
larly to the section upon the Mississippi. A stock bank, with 
a capital of live hundred thousand dollars, was established at „ 1809 

December 23 

Natchez. 

The factory of the United States, located at St. Stephens, 



23# THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter continued to be managed with, advantage, so far as the friend- 

XXX. 

ship of the Choctaws depended, which was the chief aim of 
the government. When quite a young man, Mr. George S. 
Gaines, a native of Virginia, and then a resident of Gallatin, 
Tennessee, received the appointment of assistant factor, and 
arrived at St. Stephens in the spring of 1805. The parson- 
age of the old Spanish church was used as a skin-house, and 
the old block-house served the purpose of the government 
store. In 1807, Gaines was made principal factor. He re- 
ceived a good salary, as also did the assistant clerk, the skins- 
man, and the interpreter. To this establishment the Indians — 
principally Choctaws — and sometimes the American settlers, 
brought bear's oil, honey in kegs, beeswax, bacon, groundnuts, 
tobacco in kegs, and all kinds of skins and peltries. To pay 
for which, the Federal Government usually kept a stock of 
coarse Indian merchandize, besides all kinds of iron tools, 
ploughs, arms and ammunition. In the summer the furs and 
hides, often overhauled by the skins-man for the purpose of 
keeping out the worms, were assorted. In the fall they were 
packed up in bales, and shipped to the Indian Agent at Phila- 
delphia. Mr. Gaines, at first, came often in collision with the 
revenue authorities of Mobile, who exacted duties — delayed 
his vessels — and, upon one occasion, came near putting him 
in the calaboose of that place, for venturing to remonstrate. 
The Federal Government, to avoid the payment of these 
duties, and to prevent delays, instructed the factor to obtain 
the consent of the Chickasaws for a road from Colbert's Ferry 
to St. Stephens. The government resolved to send supplies 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 235 



CHAPTER 
XXX. 



down the Ohio and up the Tennessee, to the former point. 
The faithful and enterprising Gaines was unable to procure 
the privilege of a road, but was allowed the use of a horse 
path. Upon the backs of horses he was accustomed to trans- 
port goods, hardware, and even lead, from Colbert's Ferry to 
Peaehland's, upon the Tombigby. There, boats being con- i8io 
structed, the merchandize was floated down to St. Stephens. 
It is singular that our Ministers, in forming the treaty with 
Spain in 1795, by which we acquired all of West Florida 
above the line of 31°, and the right of free navigation of the 
Mississippi, neglected to insert an article for the free naviga- 
tion of the bays and rivers of Mobile and Pearl.* 

The Spaniards continued to occupy the Baton Rouge dis- 
trict and that of Mobile, and the daring Kempers, who had 
received such cruel treatment at their hands, together with 
many other persons, impatient at the irresolution of the Fede- 
ral Government, resolved to expel them. They were assisted 
by the people of Bayou Sara, and others below Ellicott's line. 
Organizing at St. Francisville, the patriots, as they styled August 
themselves, marched upon Baton Rouge — took it by surprise, 
after a small skirmish, in which Governor Grandpre was killed. 
The town and other posts fell into their hands, and the Span- 
iards retired to Pensacola. As the Americans at this period, 
and for a long time previous, were fruitful in plans to form 
governments independent of the Union, so the patriots, many 
of whom were old Spanish subjects, now resolved to have one 

* Conversations with Mr. George S. Gaines. 



236 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter of their own. A convention assembled, which adopted a decla- 

XXX 

ration of independence, very similar in tone and sentiment to 
1810 * J 

September 26 that drawn up by Jefferson. They declared their right and 
intention to form treaties, and to establish commerce with 
foreign nations. Afterwards, however, this new republic was 
October 27 annexed to Louisiana, with the approbation of the inhabitants. 
The Kempers, apart from mercenary motives for engaging 
in this rebellion, desired to gratify a feeling of revenge. Reu- 
ben and Samuel captured Kneeland, one of the kidnappers, 
and inflicted upon his naked back one hundred lashes, then 
one hundred more for their brother Nathan, who was absent, 
cut off his ears with a dull knife, and permitted him to retire. 
These trophies of resentment were long preserved in spirits of 
wine, and hung up in one of the Kemper's parlor. Reuben 
caught another of these wretches named Horton, and chas- 
tised him as long as the latter could receive it, and live. 
Barker, seized by the Kempers at the court house at Fort 
Adams, under the nose of the Judge, was dragged forth, and 
flayed till they were content. Captain Alston, who received 
the Kempers at the line, with a Spanish guard, and conducted 
them to Bayou Tunica, died of the dropsy, contracted in lying 
in an open boat, at anchor, every night, to avoid the attacks 
of the injured brothers.* 

However, before the new republic was annexed to Louisi- 

* MS. notes in the possession of Mr. E. T. Wood, of Mobile. Mo- 
nette, vol. 2, pp. 486-490. American State Papers, Boston edition, 
vol. 7, pp. 482-484-479. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



237 



ana, the convention dispatched its colonel, Reuben Kemper, chapter 

XXX. 

to the Tombigby river, to enlist an army for the purpose of 
expelling the Spaniards from the Mobile district. The hatred 
of all these people for the Spaniards, facilitated the move- 
ments of Kemper, who operated in conjunction with Colonel 
James Caller, a man of wealth and considerable frontier in- 
fluence, at whose house he lodged. Troops were secretly 
raised. Flat-boats, with provisions, were despatched down 
the Tensaw river, to Smith's plantation. Major Kennedy and 
Colonel Kemper crossed over to the Boat Yard, where they Nove mber 
were joined by Dr. Thomas G. Holmes and other fearless and 
ardent spirits, together with a company of horse under Cap- 
tain Bernard. Arriving at the White House, one mile above 
the present Blakeley, Kemper despatched young Cyrus Sibley 
with a letter to Governor Folch — who had just taken com- 
mand of Mobile — demanding the surrender of that place. 
A party, under Dr. Holmes, was also despatched to scour the 
surrounding country for arms, ammunition and provisions, 
which the inhabitants generally secreted and withheld, be- 
cause, being Spanish subjects, they were not dissatisfied with 
that government, which exacted no onerous duties of them. 
The command dropped down to the old fields of Minette Bay, 
opposite Mobile, where they appropriated to themselves, with- 
out scruple, forage and provisions, the property of Charles 
Conway, Sr. Captain Goss arrived with a keel-boat, laden 
with whiskey, corn, flour and bacon, which had been sent by 
the Baton Rouge Convention down the Mississippi, through 
the lakes. The whiskey put the whole expedition in good 



238 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter spirits. Glowing speeches were made by Kennedy, who point- 
ed them to the ancient Mobile, which, he said, they would 
shortly capture. But cold, rainy weather, which the troops 
were forced to encounter without tents or covering of any 
kind, now sat in. This circumstance, together with a per- 
sonal difficulty which arose between Dr. Holmes and Dr. 
Pollard, in which the former was compelled, in self-defence, 
to severely wound the latter with a pistol, influenced Kemper 
to conduct the campaign on the other side of the bay. With 
a portion of the party, Major Hargrove proceeded in the boat 
to Saw-mill creek, on the west side of Mobile river, twelve 
miles above the town. With an abundance of whiskey and 
several riddles, a frolic was there kept up, which was intended 
to last until Kemper and the horse company could go around 
by the Cut-Off, and join them. An evil old man in the neigh- 
borhood, who often drank with them, went one night to Mo- 
bile, and assured Governor Folch how easily they might be 
captured. The latter sent Parades, with two hundred regu- 
lars and citizens in boats, up the river, late one evening, who 
entered Saw-mill creek, ascended it to the American camp, 
and while the poor fellows were dancing and shouting, at 11 
o'clock at night, tired upon them. Many of them tied in all 
1810 directions. Four were killed, and others were wounded. 

November 

Major Hargrove rallied a few of his men and fought, but was 
overpowered. He and nine more were loaded with irons — 
carried to Mobile, thrown into the calaboose, and from thence 
conveyed to Havana and immured in the dungeons of Moro 
Castle. Cyrus Sibley, afterwards recognized as the bearer of 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 239 

the despatch to Folch from Kemper, was seized, and also sent chapter 

XXX 

to Moro Castle. These men remained Spanish prisoners, in 
the Castle, for five years.* This affair broke up the " Kem- 
per expedition," which was further embarrassed by opposition 

1811 

from the Federal authorities about Fort Stoddart. Subse- November 

quently, Wilkinson despatched Colonel Gushing, with some 

troops, to Mobile, for the protection of the Spaniards from 

the designs of the patriots. They encamped three weeks at 

the Orange Grove, dishing then marched up to Fort Stod- December 

dart, and built a cantonment at Mount Vernon.f 

* MS. notes in the possession of Mr. E. T. Wood, of Mobile. 
Also, conversations with Dr. Thomas G. Holmes, of Baldwin county, 
Alabama. 

\ Conversations with Major Reuben Chamberlain, of Mobile, who 
came with Colonel Cushing. 



24Q THE AMERICANS in U ^BAMA \\i> uississiit 



CHAPTER XXXI, 

n\ iMsiu OIVIL w\i; UdONG ink CRBEKa 

riiu'iri; Tut: United States and Great Britain were upon the verge 
XVVL of war. British agents in Canada and Florida, sought to pro 
oure the co-operation of the wholesouth western Indian force, 
The Greeks, more powerful in numbers than the others, were 
particularly urged to join the English. Colonel Hawkins had 
managed them, with much wisdom and polioy, for son oral 
years, but they always remained dissatisfied, and were parti 
oularh so now, in consequence of a portion of their Chiefs 
having granted a public road through tin- heart of their 
isn country, which had been out out bj Lieutenant Luckett and a 
\k\\[\ o( soldiers, This thoroughfare, called the M Federal 
Road," and which run from Mints' Ferry, upon the Alabama, 
to the Chattahooohie, was filled, from one end to the other, 
with emigrants tor the western part of the territory, The 
("rooks, with their usual sagacity, foresaw that they should 
soon be hemmed in by the Georgians on one side, and the 
Tombigby people on the other, and many of them contem 
plated the expulsion of the latter, at some day not very dis 
tant. the Spaniards also hated tho emigrants, who had 



THE A M 1.1- ' • i ALABAMA AND A ll'I'I. 



241 



continued to drive them, inch by inch, from the toil which '<" 
laimed. With both them and the Indian* the British 
gan to operate, to in;il ? <- ecrei allies of the one and 
open onea of the other. But the most powerful British in- 
cendiary imseh. His Cither and mother, of the 

mee family, were born and bred at Souvanogee,* upon 
ill" Tallapoosa, in Alabama, With several children, they 
removed to the forest of Ohio, where Tecumsefa ivai born, in 
i J6S. II': bad five brothers, who were all celebrated for die 
human blood which they ipilt and \'<>v their indomitable co 

Hi- onl i ecumapea 

and vi ion;/ character, he devotedly loved, and was much in- 
fluenced by her. In 1787, be visited the Oherokeea and 
Creeks, with whom he remained two jrei in their 

hunt-, festivals and frontier wars. Returning to the Ohio, he 

ht a battle with a party of white and 

another, with the Kentuckians, on the Little Miami, and still 
another, at Painl Rock, in IY03. II" then engaged in the 
attach upon Fort Recovery, in 1704, and participated in die 
battle of Maumee Rapids, in the lame year. Prom that 
period, until that in which we propose to connect him with 
Alabama history, Tecumsefa ■ '-'Jin British intrigu 

in hunt- and in kirmishes. Wherever be appeared, devasta- 
tion and havoc ensued. He possessed a fine form, acorn- 
manding appearance, and had the endurance common to aD 



* Old Augueta, now the property of Henry Lucas on tin- rail-road, 
irhere tfi< re are some mounds. 

. IL \'j 



942 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Indians, together with a high degree of sagacity. lie enter- 

XXXI 

tained the most relentless hatred of the Americans. 

After many conferences with the British, at Detroit, Te- 

SP i8i2 ° f cumseu ^ that country, with a party of thirty warriors, 
mounted upon horses, and shaped his course to the south. 
Passing through the Chickasaw and Choctaw country, he was 
unsuccessful in arraying these tribes against the Americans. 
He went down to Florida, and met with complete success 

October with the Seminoles. In the month of October he came up 
to the Alabama, crossed that river at Autauga, where he, for 
the first time, appealed to the Creeks, in a long speech. Con- 
tinuing to Coosawda, he had, by this time, collected many 
followers, who went with him to the Hickory Ground. Having, 
from their boyhood, heard of his feats in the buffalo chase, 
the bloody wars which he had conducted, and of his fierce 
and transcendent eloquence, the warriors nocked to see him. 
He went to Tookabatcha, where Colonel Hawkins was then 
holding his grand council with the Indians. This ancient 
capital never looked so gay and populous. An autumnal sun 
glittered upon the yellow faces of five thousand natives, besides 
whites and negroes, who mingled with them. At the con- 
clusion of the Agent's first day's address, Tecumseh, at the 
head of his Ohio party, marched into the square. They 
were entirely naked, except their flaps and ornaments. Their 
faces were painted black, and their heads adorned with eagle 
plumes, while buffalo tails dragged from behind, suspended 
by bands which went around their waists. Buffalo tails were 
nfco attached to their arms, and made to stand out, by means 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 243 

of bands. Their appearance was hideous, and their bearing chapter 
pompous and ceremonious. They marched round and round, 
in the square ; then, approaching the Chiefs, they cordially 
shook them, with the whole length of the arm, and exchanged 
tobacco, a common ceremony with the Indians, denoting- 
friendship, as we have already seen. Captain Isaacs, Chief of 
Coosawda, was the only one who refused to exchange tobacco. 
His head, adorned with its usual costume — a pair of buffalo 
horns — was shaken, in contempt of Tecumseh, who, he said, 
was a bad man, and no greater than he was. 

Every day Tecumseh appeared in the square, to deliver his 
" talk," and all ears were anxious to hear it ; but, late in the 
evening, he would rise, and say, u The sun has gone too far 
to-day — I will make my talk to-morrow. 1 ' At length Haw- 
kins terminated his business, and departed for the Agency, 
upon the Flint. That night a grand council was held in the 
great round-house. Tecumseh, presenting his graceful and 
majestic form above the heads of hundreds, made known his 
mission, in a long speech, full of tire and vengeance. He 
exhorted them to return to their primitive customs, to throw 
aside the plough and the loom, and to abandon an agricultu- 
ral life, which was unbecoming Indian warriors. He told 
them that, after the whites had possessed the greater part of 
their country, turned its beautiful forests into large fields, and 
stained their clear rivers with the washings of the soil, they 
would then subject them to African servitude. He exhorted 
them to assimilate in no way with the grasping, unprincipled 
race, to use none of their arms and wear none of their clothes, 



244 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter L u t dress in the skins of beasts, which the Great Spirit 

XXXI 

had given his red children for food and raiment, and to use 
the war-club, the scalping-knife and the bow. He concluded 
by announcing that the British, their former friends, had sent 
him from the Big Lakes, to procure their services, in expelling 
the Americans from all Indian soil ; that the King of Eng- 
land was ready handsomely to reward all who would fight for 
his cause. 

A prophet, who composed one of the party of Tecumseh, 
next spoke. He said that he frequently communed with the 
October Great Spirit, who had sent Tecumseh to their country 
upon this mission, the character of which that great Chief 
had described. He declared that those who would join the 
war party should be shielded from all harm — none would be 
killed in battle ; that the Great Spirit would surround them 
with quagmires, which would swallow up the Americans a& 
they approached ; that they would finally expel every Geor- 
gian from the soil, as far as the Savannah ; that they would 
see the arms of Tecumseh, stretched out in the heavens, at a 
certain time, and then they would know when to begin the 
war.* 

A short time before daylight the council adjourned, and 
more than half the audience had already resolved to go to 
war against the Americans. Tecumseh visited all the impor- 

* The British officers in Canada had told him when a comet would 
appear, and that he might use that as a sign, to delude the Southern 
Indians. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 245 



tant Creek towns, enlisting all whom lie could on the side of chapter 

XXXI 

England. He had much to overcome, in the obstinacy of 
many of the prominent Chiefs, who had become attached to 
the Federal Government, which had lavished upon them 
munificent presents. Yet he was, in a great measure, suc- 
cessful. He made use of gifted and cunning Indians, to carry 
out his plans, after he should have left the country. One of 
these was Josiah Francis, the son of a Creek woman, by 
a trader, of Scotch and Irish descent, named David Francis.* 
The Shawnee prophet, it was said, inspired him. He placed 
him in a cabin by himself, around which he danced and howl- 
ed for ten days. lie said that Francis was then blind, 
but that he would again see, and would then know all things 
which were to happen in future. When the ten days expir- 
ed, the prophet led him forth, and attended him all day, for 
Francis stepped high and irregular, like a blind man* To- 
wards night, the vision of Francis suddenly came to him, and 
after that he was the greatest prophet in the whole Creek na- 
tion, and was empowered to make many subordinate prophets. 
Tecumseh, having made numerous proselytes, once more 
visited the Big Warrior, at Tookabatcha, whom he was par- 
ticularly desirous to enlist in his schemes, but whom he had 

* This David Francis lived for many years in the Autauga town, 
where he had a trading establishment. He was also a silver-smith, 
and made buckles, ornaments and spurs, of silver, for the Indians. 
Josiah, his son, also learned the trade. David Francis was a great 
nncle to Dr. Francis, an intelligent and highly respectable gentleman, 
of Benton county, Alabama. 



246 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter hitherto entreated to no effect, although his house was his 

XXXI " 

head-quarters. The Big Warrior still remained true to the 
November United States, more from fear of the consequences of a war 
than any love he entertained for the Americans. Tecumseh, 
after talking with him for some time, to no purpose, pointed 
his finger in his face, and emphatically said, "Tustinuggee 
Thlucco, your blood is white. You have taken my red sticks 
and my talk, but you do not mean to fight. I know the 
reason. You do not believe the Great Spirit has sent me. 
You shall believe it. I will leave directly, and go straight to 
Detroit. When I get there I will stamp my foot upon the 
ground, and shake down every house in Tookabatcha." The 
Big Warrior said nothing, but puffed his pipe, and enveloped 
himself in clouds of smoke. Afterwards, he thought much 
upon this remarkable speech. 

The common Indians believed every word of Tecumseh's 

last speech, which was intended solely to intimidate the Big 

1812 Warrior, and they beo;an to count up the time it would take 

December J ° l 

the Shawnee Chief to reach Detroit, when he would stamp 
his foot, as he had declared. One day a mighty rumbling 
was heard in the earth ; the houses of Tookabatcha reeled, 
and tottered, and reeled again. The people ran out, vocifera- 
ting, " Tecumseh has got to Detroit ! Tecumseh has got to 
Detroit ! We feel the shake of his foot !"* 



* This was an earthquake well known to the old settlers. In rela- 
tion to the visit of Tecumseh to Alabama, I have consulted General 
Ferdinand L. Claiborne's MS. papers, and Drake's Life of Tecumseh; 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 247 

Josiah Francis made many prophets, and, among others, chapter 
High-Head Jim, of Auttose. The Indians began to dance 
" the war-dance of the lakes," which Tecumseh had taught 
them. In the meantime, that Chief had reached Canada, 
having carried with him the Little Warrior, of the Creek 
nation, with thirty of his warriors. The British agents sent 
back by them letters to their agents in Florida, with orders to 
allow the Creeks extensive supplies of arms and ammunition. 
The Little Warrior, in returning, by way of the mouth of the F J^ 
Ohio, attacked seven families, living near each other, and 
murdered them in the most cruel manner. They dragged 
Mrs. Crawley from the bodies of her bleeding children, and 
brought her, a prisoner, to the Tuscaloosa Falls. Being made 
acquainted with these outrages by General Robertson, the 
Chickasaw Agent, Hawkins demanded the punishment of the 
guilty warriors. A council, at Tookabatcha, secretly des- Apr0i6 
patched a party of warriors, headed by Mcintosh, of Coweta, 
who marched to the Hickory Ground, where they separated 
into smaller parties. One of these went to the Red Warrior's 
Bluff, upon the Tallapoosa, now Grey's Ferry, and there sur- 
rounded a house, and began to shoot at five of the Little 
Warrior's party. They defended themselves with bravery, 
all the time dancing the dance of the lakes. Finally, they 
were all killed and burnt up. A party, headed by Captain 

I have also conversed with Lachlan Durant, Mrs. Sophia McComb, 
Peter Randon, James Moore, and others, who were at Tookabatcha 
when Tecumseh arrived there. 
13* 



248 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Isaacs, pursued the Little Warrior into a swamp, above We- 
XXX ' tumpka, and killed him. Others were killed at Hoithlewaule. 
Although the Chiefs, friendly to the United States, acted with 
so much justice upon this occasion, it did not prevent the 
commission of other murders, more immediately at home. 
An old Chief, named Mormouth, killed Thomas Merideth, an 
emigrant, at Catoma Creek, and wounded others.* 

Having engaged in a war with England, the Federal Go- 
vernment, fearing to leave the port of Mobile longer in the 
hands of the Spaniards, who were the secret allies of Great 
Britain, resolved to occupy the whole of the district lying 
between Pearl and the Perdido rivers, and below the line of 
31°, which we had claimed since the treaty with Bonaparte, 
who ceded to us Louisiana, of which this was a part, as was 
contended. Accordingly, General Wilkinson, with six hun- 
dred men, of the third and seventh regiments, sailing from 
New-Orleans, in transport vessels, commanded by Commo- 
dore Shaw, provided with scaling-ladders, and every necessary 
equipment, landed opposite the site of the Pavilion, on the 
bay of Mobile. He marched up to the town, and took a 
position in the rear of Fort Charlotte. After some corres- 
pondence, the Spanish commandant, Captain Cayetano Perez, 
1813 capitulated, surrendered the fort, and all the cannon and mili- 

Aprill3 . 

tary stores, the latter of which Wilkinson agreed the United 
States should pay for. The Spanish garrison retired to Pen- 
sacola, and the stars and stripes were hoisted upon the ram- 

* Indian Affairs, vol. l,pp. 843-845. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 249 

parte of Fort Charlotte, which was built of brick, with case- chapter 

XXXI 

merits for five hundred men, and with four bastions. It was 
quite an acquisition to the United States, at the present time. 
General Wilkinson sent nine pieces of artillery to Mobile 
Point, which were there placed in battery. He then marched 
to the Perdido, and on its western bank, on the main road to 
Pensacola, began the construction of a strong stockade, under 
the superintendence of Colonel John Bowyer, which was 
afterwards abandoned. Marching back to Mobile, he des- 
patched Captain Chamberlain, with soldiers, to Mobile Point, 
who began, and, in two years, completed Fort Bowyer.* 
Thus the long period had arrived, when no Spanish govern- 
ment was found to exist upon a foot of the soil of Alabama 
or Mississippi. 

The effects of Tecumseh's visit began to be realized in 
every corner of the Creek confederacy. Even at the Falls 
of Tuscaloosa, where a Creek town had for several years been 
established, the inhabitants were extremely belligerent. The 
Chief, Ocheoce Emarthla, with a few warriors, dropped down 
the Warrior river in canoes, paid Mr. Gaines a visit, and were 
insulting in their bearing, and importunate in their demands 
for goods, upon a credit. They disclosed to Tandy Walker, 
an honest white man, formerly a government blacksmith, 
their intention shortly to attack the settlers, and seize upon 
the factory. In an eastward direction, the Alabamas were 

* Memoirs of Wilkinson, vol. 1, pp. 507-520. Conversations with 
Major Reuben Chamberlain. 



250 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1813 

May 



chapter furious advocates of American extermination. The Indian 

XXXI. 

executions, to which allusion has just been made, connected 
with the occasional shocks of the earthquake, filled the Indian 
world with excitement and fanaticism. 

Peter McQueen, a half-breed of Tallase, the venerable 
Hobothle Micco, and other prominent men, who had inclined 
to the talks of Tecumseh, now assumed decided attitudes. 
The hostile spirit increased fearfully, and the whole nation 
was soon agitated with quarrels, fights, murders and robberies, 
and everything foreboded a direful civil war. The prophets 
practised their incantations in towns, fields, and in the woods, 
wherever they found Indians to influence. Alarmed at this un- 
usual state of things, the Chiefs friendly to the United States 
frequently despatched runners to Hawkins, who urged them, 
in return, to adhere to the cause of the Federal Government, 
and to take all means to avert a civil war. The Agent seems 
to have been strangely benighted, slowly allowing his mind 
to be brought to the conviction that anything serious would 
grow out of these difficulties. The Big Warrior, on the con- 
trary, was much alarmed. He endeavored to assemble the 
Chiefs of the neighboring towns ; but a majority refused to 
appear, and continued to give countenance to the prophets. 
He despatched a runner to the Alabamas, with this talk : 
" You are but a few Alabama people. You say that the 
Great Spirit visits you frequently ; that he comes in the sun, 
and speaks to you ; that the sun comes down just above your 
heads. Now we want to see and hear what you have seen 
and heard. Let us have the same proof, then we will believe. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



251 



You have nothing to fear — the people who did the killing chapter 
upon the Ohio are put to death, and the law is satisfied." XX1, 
The messenger was seized, killed, and scalped, at the junction 
of the Coosa and Tallapoosa, where a portion of the war 
party were engaged in " the dance of the lakes." They then 
paddled down to Coosawda, pursued Captain Isaacs into the 
cane, across the river, and, being unable to find him, returned, 
burnt up his houses, destroyed his stock and murdered 
two of his chief warriors.* The Indians also commenced 
hostilities upon the Americans. Between Burnt Corn and 
the Escambia, Greggs, an American mail-rider, was seized, 
most severely beaten, and left upon the Federal Road, after 1813 
being robbed of his mail-bags and horse. "Without anything 
to eat, save the berries in the woods, the lacerated youth, 
after wandering ten days through the forests, reached Mont- 
gomery Hill. The mail was carried to Pensacola, and rifled 
of its contents, in a Spanish trading-house.f General Wil- 
kinson, with his lady, had reached Sam McNac's, near the June 25 
Catoma, with an escort, which had attended him from Mims' 
Ferry. He wrote back to Judge Toulmin, informing him of 
the dangers attendant upon a trip through the Creek nation, 
but that he was resolved to go on to Georgia. In a short 
time, McNac, who, for some time, lived upon the Federal Road, 
for the purpose of accommodating travellers, was driven off, 
some of his negroes stolen, while his cattle were driven to 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, p. 846. 

•J- Conversations with Mr. George S. Gaines, of Mobile, and Dr. 
Thomas G. Holmes, of Baldwin county. 



252 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Pensacola for sale. Other half-breeds, suspected of friendship 
for the Americans, were treated in the same manner. Re- 
maining concealed for some time, upon his island in the Ala- 
bama, McNac ventured to visit his place upon the road. 
Here he suddenly encountered High Head Jim, one of the 
prophets of Auttose, who, after shaking him by the hands, 
began to tremble all over, and to jerk, in every part of his 
frame, convulsing the calves of the legs, and, from the severe 
agitation, getting entirely out of breath. This practice had 
been introduced by the prophet Josiah Francis, the brother- 
in-law of McNae, who said he was so instructed by the Great 
Spirit. Wishing to make terms for the moment, McNac 
pretended that he was sorry for his former friendship to the 
whites, and avowed his determination to join the hostiles. 
High-Head Jim, led away by this artifice, disclosed to him 
all their plans ; that they were soon to kill the Big Warrior, 
Captain Isaacs, William Mcintosh, the Mad Dragon's Son, 
the Little Prince, Spoke Kange, and Tallase Fixico, all pro- 
minent Chiefs of the nation ; that, after the death of these 
traitors, the Creeks were to unite, in a common cause, against 
the Americans ; those upon the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black 
j 813 Warrior, were to attack the settlements upon the Tensaw 
and Tombigby ; those near the Cherokees, with the assist- 
ance of the latter, were to attack the Tennesseans ; the Geor- 
gians were to fall by the fierce sallies of the Lower Creeks 
and Seminoles ; while the Choctaws were to exterminate the 
Mississippi population. 

The most extravagant delusions prevailed upon the Coosa, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 253 

at this period. Nearly all these people moved out of their chapter 

XXXI. 

towns, into the woods, dancing and preparing for war. Lete- 
cau, a prophet, of eighteen years of age, a native of the town 
of Abaucooche, went, with eight subordinate prophets, to 
the old Coosa town, from whence they sent out runners, invi- 
ting all the unbelievers to come "and witness their magical 
powers. A large assembly, of both sexes, congregated upon 
the banks of the river, and surrounded the prophets. Lete- 
cau, with his wand, drew a circle in front, and he and his 
subordinates began "the dance of the lakes." After pow- 
erful exertions, for some time, the war-whoop was given by 
Letecau, who fell, with his men, upon three Chiefs, whom 
they killed. The other friendly Chiefs sprang into the river, 
made their escape to their towns, and, assembling their war- 
riors, returned, and killed Letecau and his prophets. They 
proceeded to Little Ocfuske, where Tecumseh's talk had been 
taken, and there put a number of his deluded followers to 
death. 

The hostiles destroyed the stock of the friendly Indians, at 
the Hillabee towns, several of whom they killed. They car- 
ried off seventy negroes, belonging to Robert Graison, and 1813 
committed many other depredations. The town of Kialigee 
was burned down, and several of the inhabitants shot. These 
things overwhelmed the Big Warrior with fear, and he en- 
treated Hawkins to relieve him, with the federal troops. He 
had collected a large supply of corn at Tookabatcha, where 
he built a fort. Hawkins prevailed upon two hundred war- 



June 



254 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter riors, of Coweta and Cusseta, to march to Tookabatcha, 
where they soon arrived, and, after some annoyance, from 
the attacks of a few of the war party, succeeded in carrying 
off the Big Warrior, and those who adhered to him, in safety, 
over to the Chattahoochie.* 

* Upon the civil war among the Creeks, see Indian Affairs, vol. 1, 
pp. 849-851. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 255 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

BATTLE OF BURNT CORN— ARRIVAL OF GENERAL 
CLAIBORNE'S ARMY. 

Peter McQueen, at the head of the Tallase warriors, chapter 

High-Head Jim, with the Autaugas, and Josiah Francis, with 

the Alabamas, numbering, in all, three hundred and fifty, 

departed for Pensaeola, with many pack-horses. On their 

way, they beat and drove off all the Indians who would not 

take the war talk. The brutal McQueen beat an unoffending 

white trader within an inch of his life, and carried the wife 

of Curnells, the government interpreter, a prisoner, to Pen- 

' » ii 1813 

sacola. The village of Hatchechubba was reduced to ashes. July 10 

The inhabitants of the Tombigby and the Tensaw had 
constantly petitioned the governor for an army to repel the 
Creeks, whose attacks they hourly expected. But General 
Flournoy, who had succeeded Wilkinson in command, refused 
to send any of the regular or volunteer troops. The British 
fleet was seen off the coast, from which supplies, arms, am- 
munition, and Indian emissaries, were sent to Pensaeola and 
other Spanish ports in Florida. Everything foreboded the 
extermination of the Americans in Alabama, who were the 



256 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter most isolated and defenceless people imaginable. Determined, 

XXXII. 

however, to protect themselves, to the best of their means and 
abilities, they first sent spies to Pensacola, to watch the move- 
ments of the Indians there, under McQueen, who returned 
with the report that the British agents were distributing to 
them ample munitions of war. Colonel James Caller ordered 
out the militia, some of whom soon rallied to his standard, in 
the character of minute volunteers. He marched across the 
Tombigby, passed through the town of Jackson, and by the 
new fort, upon the eastern line of Clarke, and from thence to 
Sisemore's Ferry, upon the Alabama, where, on the western 
bank, he bivouaced for the night. The object of the expe- 
dition was to attack the Indians, as they were returning from 
Pensacola. The next morning, Caller began the crossing of 
the river, to the east side, which was effected by swimming 
the horses by the side of the canoes. It occupied much of 
the early part of the day. When all were over, the march 
1813 was resumed, in a south-eastern direction, to the cow-pens of 

July 26 

David Tait, where a halt was made. Here Caller was re- 
inforced, by a company from Tensaw Lake and Little River, 
under the command of Dixon Bailey, a half-breed Creek, a 
native of the town of Auttose, who had been educated at 
, Philadelphia, under the provisions of the treaty of New- 

York, of 1*790. Bailey was a man of fine appearance, unim- 
peachable integrity, and a strong mind. His courage and 
energy were not surpassed by those of any other man. The 
whole expedition under Caller now consisted of one hundred 
and eighty men, in small companies. Two of these were 



Gml Claiborne's head, quarters 




WAR IN 
SOUTH ALABA 

/// //J/J a/n/ /fi/4 



rt* ' S'A HOIVY fc 








Tfttti of% 

wAr in 

SOUTH ALABAMA, 

/// /S/Jand /S/4, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 957 

from St. Stephens, one of which was commanded by Captain chapter 
Bailey Heard, and the other by Captain Benjamin Smoot and 
Lieutenant Patrick May. A company, from the county of 
Washington, was commanded by Captain David Cartwright. 
In passing through Clarke county, Caller had been re-inforced 
by a company under Captain Samuel Dale and Lieutenant 
Girard W. Creagh. Some men had also joined him, com- 
manded by William McGrew, Robert Caller, and William 
Bradberry. The troops of the little party were mounted 
upon good frontier horses, and provided with rifles and shot- 
guns, of various sizes and descriptions. Leaving the cow- 
pens, Caller marched until he reached the wolf-trail, where 
he bivouaced for the last night. The main route to Pensa- 
cola was now before them. 

In the morning the command was re-organized, by the 
election of Zachariah Philips, McFarlin, AYood and Jourdan, 
to the rank of major, and William McGrew lieutenant-colonel. 
This unusual number of field-officers was made, to satisfy 
military aspirations. While on the march, the spy company 
returned rapidly, about 1 1 o'clock in the forenoon, and re- 
ported that McQueen's party were encamped a few miles in 
advance, and were engaged in cooking and eating. A con- 
sultation of officers terminated in the decision to attack the 
Indians by surprise. The command was thrown into three 
divisions — Captain Smoot in front of the right, Captain Bai- 
ley in front of the centre, and Captain Dale in front of the 
left. The Indians occupied a peninsula of low pine barren, 
formed by the windings of Burnt Corn Creek. Some gently 



1813 
July 27 



258 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter rising heights overlooked this tongue of land, down which 

XXXII 

Caller charged upon them. Although taken by surprise, the 
Indians repelled the assault for a few minutes, and then gave 
way, retreating to the creek. A portion of the Americans 
bravely pursued them to the water, while others remained 
behind, engaged in the less laudable enterprise of capturing 
the Indian pack-horses. Caller acted with bravery, but, un- 
fortunately, ordered a retreat to the high lands, where he 
intended to take a strong position. Seeing those in advance 
retreating from the swamp, about one hundred of the com- 
mand, who had been occupied, as we have stated, in securing 
Indian effects, now precipitately fled, in great confusion and 
terror, but, in the midst of their dismay, held on to the laun- 
der, driving the horses before them. Colonel Caller, Captain 
Bailey and other officers, endeavored to rally them, in vain. 
The Indians rushed forth from the swamp, with exulting 
yells, and attacked about eighty Americans, who remained at 
the foot of the hill. A severe fight ensued, and the whites, 
now commanded by Captains Dale, Bailey and Smoot, fought 
with laudable courage, exposed to a galling fire, in open 
July 27 woods, while McQueen and his warriors were protected by 
thick reeds. The latter, however, discharged their pieces 
very unskilfully. Captain Dale received a large ball in the 
breast, which, glancing around a rib, came out at his back. 
He continued to fight-as long as the battle lasted. At length, 
abandoned by two-thirds of the command, while the enemy 
had the advantage of position, the Americans resolved to 
retreat, which they did in great disorder. Many had lost 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 259 



their horses, for they had dismounted when the attack was 
made, and now ran in all directions, to secure them or get up 
behind others. Many actually ran off on foot. After all these 
had left the field, three young men were found, still fighting 
by themselves, on one side of the peninsula, and keeping at 
bay some savages, who were concealed in the cane. They 
were Lieutenant Patrick May, of North-Carolina, now of 
Greene county, Alabama, a descendant of a brave revolution- 
ary family ; a private, named Ambrose Miles and Lieutenant 
Girard W. Creagh, of South-Carolina. A warrior presented 
his tall form. May and the savage discharged their guns 
at each other. The Indian fell dead in the cane ; his fire, 
however, had shattered the lieutenant's piece, near the lock. 
Resolving also to retreat, these intrepid young men made a 
rush for their horses, when Creagh, brought to the ground by 
the effects of a wound which he received in the hip, cried out, 
" Save me, lieutenant, or I am gone." May instantly raised 
him up, bore him off on his back, and placed him in his 
saddle, while Miles held the bridle reins. A rapid retreat 
saved their lives. Reaching the top of the hill, they saw 
Lieutenant Bradberry, a young lawyer of North-Carolina, 
bleeding with his wounds, and endeavoring to rally some 
of his men. The Indians, reaching the body of poor Bal- 
lad, took off his scalp, in full view, which so incensed his 
friend, Glass, that he advanced and fired the last gun upon 
them. 

The retreat was continued all night, in the most irregular 



CHAPTER 
XXXII. 



1813 
July 27 



200 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter manner, and the trail was lined, from one end to the other, 
with small squads, and sometimes one man by himself. The 
wounded travelled slowly, and often stopped to rest. It was 
afterwards ascertained that only two Americans were killed, 
and fifteen wounded. Such was the battle of Burnt Corn, 
the first that was fought in the long and bloody Creek war. 
The Indians retraced their steps to Pensacola, for more mili- 
tary supplies. Their number of killed is unknown. Caller's 
command never got together again, but mustered themselves 
out of service, returning to their homes by various routes, 
after many amusing adventures. Colonel Caller and Major 
Wood became lost, and wandered on foot in the forest, causing 
great uneasiness to their friends. When General Claiborne 
arrived in the county, he wrote to Bailey, Tait and McNac, 
respectable half-breeds, urging them to hunt for these unfor- 
tunate men. They were afterwards found, starved almost to 
death, and bereft of their senses. They had been missing 
fifteen days.* 

General Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne, the brother of the 
ex-Governor of the Mississippi Territory, was born in Sussex 
county, Virginia, of a family distinguished in that common- 
wealth, from the time of Charles I. On the 21st November, 


* Conversations with Dr. Thomas G. Holmes, of Baldwin coun- 
ty, Alabama, the late Colonel Girard W. Creagh, of Clarke, and 
General Patrick May, of Greene, who were in the Burnt Corn ex- 
pedition. 






THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 261 



1*793, in his twentieth year, he was appointed an ensign in chapter 

XXXII 

Wayne's array, on the North-western frontier. He was in the 
great battle in which that able commander soon after defeated 
the Indians, and, for his good conduct, was promoted to a 
lieutenantcy. At the close of the war, he was stationed at 
Richmond and Norfolk, in the recruiting service, and, subse- 
quently, was ordered to Pittsburg, Forts Washington, Green- 
ville and Detroit, where he remained, with the rank of cap- 
tain, and acting adjutant-general, until 1805, when he re- 
signed, and removed to Natchez. He was soon afterwards a 
member of the Territorial legislature, and presided over its 
deliberations. We have already seen how active he was in 
arresting Aaron Burr, upon the Mississippi rivei> at the head 
of infantry and cavalry. On the 8th March, 1813, Colonel 
Claiborne was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers, and 
was ordered, by General Wilkinson, to take command of the 
post of Baton Rouge. In the latter part of July, he was 
ordered, by General Flournoy, to march, with his whole com- 
mand, to Fort Stoddart, and instructed to direct his principal 
attention to " the defence of Mobile." 

1813 

On the 30th July, General Claiborne reached Mount Ver- July 30 
non, near the Mobile river, with the rear-guard of his army, 
consisting of seven hundred men, whom he had chiefly sus- 
tained by supplies, raised by mortgages upon his own estate.* 

* Upon the conclusion of the Creek war, General Claiborne returned 
to Soldier's Retreat, his home, near Natchez, shattered in constitution, 
from the exposure and hardships of the campaigns, and died suddenly, 
VOL. II. 14 



262 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter The quarter-master at Baton Rouge had only provided him 

XXXII 

with the small sum of two hundred dollars. He obtained, 
from the most reliable characters upon the eastern frontier, 
accurate information, in regard to the threatened invasion of 
the Indians, an account of the unfortunate result of the Burnt 
Corn expedition, and a written opinion of Judge Toulmin, 
respecting the critical condition of the country generally. It 
was found that alarm pervaded the populace. Rumors of 
the advance of the Indians were rife, and were believed. In 
Clarke county — in the fork of the rivers — a chain of rude 
defences had hastily been constructed by the citizens, and 
were tilled, to overflowing, with white people and negroes. 
One of these w T as at Gullet's Blnff, upon the Tombigby, an- 
other at Easley's station, and the others at the residences of 
Sinquefield, Glass, White and Lavier. They were all called 
forts. Two block-houses were also in a state of completion, 
at St. Stephens. 

The first step taken by Claiborne was the distribution of 
his troops, so as to afford the greatest protection to the in- 
habitants. He despatched Colonel Carson, with two hundred 
men, to the Fork, who arrived at Fort Glass without accident. 
A few hundred yards from that rude structure, he began the 
construction of Fort Madison. He sent Captain Scott to St. 
Stephens, with a company, which immediately occupied the 

at the close of 1815. The vouchers, for the liberal expenditures which 
he made, were lost, and his property was sold. 



1813 

August 10 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 263 

old Spanish block-house. He employed Major Hinds, with chapter 



the mounted dragoons, in scouring the country, while he dis- 
tributed some of the militia of Washington county for the 
defence of the stockades. Captain Dent was despatched to 
Oaktupa, where he assumed the command of a fort, with two 
block-houses, within a mile of the Choctaw line.* 

* MS. papeis of General F. L. Claiborne. 



XXXII. 



1813 

August 22 



254 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

TERRIBLE MASSACRE AT FORT MIMS. 

chapter In the meantime, the wealthy half-bloods about Little 
xxxiii. r j yer j ia( j dipped down the Alabama, in their boats, and 
had secreted themselves in the swamp about Lake Tensaw. 
Uniting with the whites, they soon began the construction of 
a fort around the residence of Samuel Minis, a wealthy Indian 
countryman, to whom we have often alluded, and who, origi- 
nally, was one of the pack-horsemen of the Honorable George 
Galphin. 

Being about to relate a horrible affair, in which people of all 
ages and both sexes were subjected to savage butchery, a par- 
ticular description of the place where it occurred is deemed 
necessary. Minis lived within four hundred yards of the 
Boat Yard, upon Lake Tensaw, a mile east of the Alabama 
river, and two miles below the Cut-OfT. His house was a 
large frame building, of one story, with spacious shed-rooms. 
Around it pickets were driven, between which fence rails were 
placed. Five hundred port-holes were made, three and a 
half feet only from the ground. The stockading enclosed an 
acre of ground, in a square form, and was entered by two 



DRAWING OF FORT MIMS. 

Found among Gen. Claiborne's manuscript papers. 
5 




REFER 

1 Block House. 

2 Pickets cut away by the Indians. 

3 Guard's Station. 

4 Guard House. 

5 Western Gate, but not up. 

6 This Gate was shut, but a hole 

was cut through by the Indians. 

7 Captain Bailey's Station. 

8 Steadham's House. 

9 Mrs. Dyer's House. 

10 Kitchen. 

11 Minis' House. 

12 Ran don's House. 

13 Old Gate- way — open. 



ENCES. 

14 Ensign Chambliss' Tent. 

15 Ensign Gibbs'. 

16 Randon's. 

17 Captain Middleton's. 

18 Captain Jack's Station. 

19 Port-holes taken by Indians. 

20 21 Port-holes taken by Indians. 

22 Major Beasley's Cabin. 

23 Captain Jack's Company. 

24 Captain Middleton's Company. 

25 Where Major Beasley fell. 

26 Eastern Gate, where the In- 

dians entered. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



265 



XXXIII. 



ponderous but rude gates, one on the east and the other on chapter 
the west. Within the enclosure, besides the main building, 
were various out-houses, rows of bee-gums, together with 
cabins and board shelters, recently erected by the settlers, 
wherever a vacant spot appeared. At the south-west corner 
a block-house was begun, but never finished. This defence 
was situated on a very slight elevation. A large potatoe-field 
lay adjoining, on the south, in which were a row of negro- 
houses. Woods intervened between the picketing and the 
lake, while, in a northern direction, cane swamps, which grew 
denser as they approached the river, were hard by. On the 
east, the flat lands continued for several miles, interspersed 
with cane marshes and some ravines. It was, altogether, a 
most ill-chosen place for a fort, as it ultimately proved.* 

No sooner was Fort Mims partially finished, than the citi- 
zens poured in, with their provisions and effects. Colonel 
Carson, who had reached Mount Vernon in advance of Clai- 
borne, sent over Lieutenant Osborne, with sixteen men. Af- 
terwards Claiborne despatched one hundred and seventy-five 
more volunteers to Fort Mims, under the command of Major 
Daniel Beasley, with Captains Jack, Batchelor and Middleton. 
He found seventy militia upon duty, commanded, for the 
present, by Dunn and Plummer, two inexperienced officers. 
Permitting them to elect their officers, the brave Dixon Bailey 

was unanimously chosen for the post of captain, and 

Crawford for ensign. The next day, General Claiborne, am- Augnst 7 



1813 

July 2! 



August 6 



* Conversations with Dr. Thomas G. Holmes, of Baldwin. 
14* 



26$ THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter ying at Fort Mims and inspecting the works, addressed a 

XXXIII. 

general order of instructions to Beasley, charging him " to 
strengthen the picketing, build two more block -houses, respect 
the enemy, to send out scouts frequently, and allow the suffer- 
ing people provisions, whether whites or friendly Indians." 
Eeturning to his head-quarters, at Mount Vernon, he, for the 
moment, directed his attention to other portions of the fron- 
tiers.* In the meantime, Major Beasley had extended the 
picketing on the east side, sixty feet deep, forming a separate 
apartment, for the accommodation of the officers and their 
baggage. He greatly weakened his command, by sending 
small detachments to Forts Madison, Easley, Pierce, and 
Joshua Kennedy's saw-mill, where citizens had collected, and 
asked for assistance.! At this mill the government had a 
large contract for lumber, to put Fort Charlotte, of Mobile, 
in repair, and build a fort at Mobile Point, and it was deemed 
necessary to strengthen it with troops, to prevent the Indians 
from burning it down.J 

The whole population of Fort Mims, consisting of whites, 
Indians, soldiers, officers and negroes, now amounted to five 
hundred and fifty-three souls. Crowded together, in an Ala- 
bama swamp, in the month of August, much sickness pre- 
vailed^ In the meantime, Crawford was dismissed from the 
post of ensign, for having deserted from the regular army, 

* Claiborne's MS. papers. 

t Conversations with Dr. Thomas G. Holmes. 

t Claiborne's MS. papers. 

§ Conversations with Dr. Thomas G. Holmes. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 267 

and Peter Randon, a half-breed, was appointed in his place, chapter 

XXXIII 

Beasley kept up a correspondence with Claiborne, several 

times acquainting him with alarms, which turned out to be August 14 

false* 

The Creeks, whom we left returning to Pensacola, from the 
battle-ground of Burnt Corn, were again liberally supplied 
with arms and ammunition. Making their way back to the 
Tallapoosa, without molestation, active preparations were made 
by them for immediate war. Warriors, from the towns of 
Hoithlewale, Fooshatche, Cooloome, Ecunhutke, Souvanoga, 
Mooklausa, Alabama, Oakchoieooche, Pockuschatche, Ochebo- 
fa, Puckuntallahasse, Wewocoe, and Woccocoie, marched in a 
southern direction, while others, from Tallase, Auttose and 
Ocfuske, formed a front of observation towards Coweta, to 
conceal the movement.f 

Associated with McQueen and Francis was William Wea- 
therford, the son of Charles Weatherford, a Georgian, who 
had lived almost a life-time in the Creek nation. His mother, 
Sehoy, was the half-sister of General McGillivray, and a native 
of Hickory Ground. William was uneducated, but was a 
man of great native intellect, fine form, and commanding 

* Claiborne's MS. papers. 

t Indian Affairs, vol. 1, 858. The Spaniards and the British agents 
charged McQueen's party to " fight the Americans. If they prove too 
hard for you, send your women and children to Pensacola, and we will 
send them to Havana ; and if you should be compelled to fly, your- 
selves, and the Americans should prove too hard for both of us, there 
are vessels enough to take us all off together." Ibid. 



258 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1813 
August 20 



chapter person. His bearing was gentlemanly and dignified, and 

XXXIII. 

was coupled with an intelligent expression, which led stran- 
gers to suppose that they were in the presence of no ordinary 
man. His eyes were large, dark, brilliant and flashing. He 
was one of " nature's noblemen," a man of strict honor and 
unsurpassed courage. He was now with the large Indian 
army, conducting them down to attack the Tensaw settlers, 
among whom were his brother and several sisters, and also 
his half-brother, David Tait.* How unhappily were these 
people divided ! His sister, Hannah McNac, with all her 
sons, belonged to the war party, while the husband was 
a true friend of the Americans, and had fled to them for pro- 
tection. Weatherford led his army to the plantation of Zacha- 
riah McGirth, a little below the present Claiborne, where, 
capturing several negroes, among whom was an intelligent 
fellow, named Joe, from whom they learned the condition of 
,Fort Mims, and the proper time to attack it, he halted for 
several days, to deliberate. One of the negroes escaped, and 
conveyed intelligence to the fort of the approach of the In- 
dians. Major Beasley had continued to send out scouts daily, 
who were unable to discover traces of the enemy. The in- 
mates had become inactive, free from alarm, and abandoned 
themselves to fun and frolic. The negro runner from Mc- 
Girth's plantation now aroused them for a time, and Fort 

* David Tait was the son of Colonel Tait, a British officer, who was 
stationed at the Hickory Ground, upon the Coosa, in 1778, as we have 
seen. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 269 

Minis was further strengthened. But the Indians not appear- chapter 
ing, the negro was pronounced to be a liar, and the activity of 
the garrison again abated. At length two young negro men A ^ m 
were sent out, to mind some beef cattle, that grazed upon 
the luxuriant grass within a few miles of the fort. Suddenly, 
they came rushing through the gate, out of breath, and 
reported that they had counted twenty-four painted warriors. 
Captain Middleton, with a detachment of horse, was imme- 
diately despatched, with the negroes, to the place ; but, being 
unable to discover the least sign of the enemy, returned about 
sunset, when one of the negroes, belonging to John Randon, 
was tied up and severely flogged, for alarming the garrison, 
with what Major Beasley deemed a sheer fabrication. Fletch- 
er, the owner of the other, refused to permit him to be pun- 
ished, because he believed his statement, which so incensed 
the major that he ordered him, with his large family, to 
depart from the fort by 10 o'clock the next day. The next 
morning Randon's negro was again sent out, to attend the cattle, August 30 
but, seeing a large body of Indians, fled to Fort Pierce, being 
afraid to communicate the intelligence to those who had 
whipped him. In the meantime, Fletcher's negro, by the 
reluctant consent of his master, was tied up, and the lash 
about to be applied to his back ; the officers were preparing 
to dine ; the soldiers were reposing on the ground ; some of 
the settlers were playing cards ; the girls and young men 
were dancing, while a hundred thoughtless and happy child- 
ren sported from door to door, and from tent to tent. 

At that awful moment, one thousand Creek warriors, ex- 



2^0 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter tended flat upon the ground, in a thick ravine, four hundred 
yards from the eastern gate, thirsted for American blood. 
No eyes saw them, but those of the chirping and innocent 
birds in the limbs above them. The mid-day sun sometimes 
flashed through the thick foliage, and glanced upon their 
yellow skins, but quickly withdrew, as if afraid longer to 
contemplate the murderous horde. There lay the prophets, 
covered with feathers, with black faces, resembling those 
monsters which partake of both beast and bird. Beside 
them lay curious medicine-bags and rods of magic. The 
whole ravine was covered with painted and naked savages, 
completely armed. 

The hour of 12 o'clock arrived, and the drum beat the 
officers and soldiers of the garrison to dinner. Then, by one 
simultaneous bound, the ravine was relieved of its savage 
burden, and soon the field resounded with the rapid tread of 
the bloody warriors. The sand had washed against the 
eastern gate, which now lay open. Major Beasley rushed, 
sword in hand, and essayed in vain to shut it. The Indians 
felled him to the earth, with their clubs and tomahawks, and, 
rushing over his body, into the additional part of the fort, 
left him a chance to crawl behind the gate, where he shortly 
after expired. To the last, he called upon the men to make 
a resolute resistance. The eastern part of the picketing was 
soon full of Indians, headed by five prophets, whom the 
Americans immediately shot down, while engaged in dancing 
and incantations. This greatly abated the ardor of the enemy, 
many of whom retreated through the gate, for the moment. 



1813 
August 30 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



271 



They had been assured that American bullets would split chapter 

XXXIII 

upon the sacred persons of the prophets, and pass off harm- 
less. The unhappy inmates of Fort Mims now made all 
efforts to defend the place, but their attempts were confused 
and ineffective. The assailants, from the old line of picketing, 
in the additional part of the fort, and from the outside stock- 
ading, commenced a general lire upon the Americans. Sol- 
diers, negroes, women and children, fell. Captain Middleton, in 
charge of the eastern section, was soon despatched, together 
with all his men. Captain Jack, on the south wing, with a 
company of riflemen, defended his position with great bravery. 
Lieutenant Randon fought from the guard-house, on the west, 
while Captain Dixon Bailey repulsed the enemy, to the best 
of his ability, on the northern line of pickets, against which 
much the largest number of Indians operated. The number 
of savages was so great that they apparently covered the 
whole field, and they now rent the air with their exulting 18t3 

J & August 30 

shouts. Many of the younger prophets surrounded the main 
building, which was full of women and children, and danced 
around it, distorting their faces, and sending up the most 
unearthly screams. The pickets and houses afforded the 
Americans some protection, where the young men, the aged, 
and even the boys, fought with desperation. Captain Bailey 
was the man to whom the eyes of all the settlers were turned, 
at this critical moment. He maintained his position, and 
was the only officer who gained the port-holes before they 
were occupied by the enemy. His repeated discharges made 
lanes through the savage ranks. Fresh numbers renewed 



272 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter their efforts against him, and often an Indian and an Ameri- 
can would plant their gims across the same port-hole, to shoot 
at each other. Bailey encouraged the whole population in 
the fort to fight, assuring them that Indians seldom fought 
long at one time, and, by holding out a little while longer, 
many would be saved. Failing in his entreaties to prevail 
upon several to rush through the enemy, to Fort Pierce, only 
two miles distant, there procure reinforcements, and attack 
the assailants in the rear, he resolved to go himself, and began 
to climb over the pickets for that purpose ; but his neighbors, 
who loved him dearly, pulled him back. 

About three o'clock, the Indians, becoming tired of the 

contest, plundered the additional part of the fort, and began 

1813 to carry off the effects, to the house of Mrs. O'Neil, which lay 

August 30 J J 

three hundred yards distant, on the road to the ferry. Wea- 
therford overtook them, on a line black horse, and brought 
them back to the scene of action, after having impressed them 
by an animated address. About this time, Dr. Osborne, the 
surgeon, was shot through the body, and carried into Pa- 
trick's loom-house, where he expired, in great agony. The 
women now animated the men to defend them, by assisting 
in loading the guns and bringing water from the well. The 
most prominent among these was Mrs. Daniel Bailey, who, 
provoked at the cowardice of Sergeant Mathews, severely 
punctured him with a bayonet, as he lay trembling against 
the wall. Many instances of unrivalled courage could be 
enumerated, if our space permitted it. One of Jack's sol- 
diers retreated to the half-finished block-house, after his com- 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 273 

mander and all his brothers-in-arms had fallen, and, from that chapter 

XXXIII 

point, discharged his gun at intervals, until he had killed over 
a dozen warriors. James and Daniel Bailejr, the brothers of 
the gallant Captain, with other men, ascended to the roof of 
Mims's dwelling, knocked off some shingles, for port-holes, 
where they continued to shoot the lusty warriors on the out- 
side of the picketing. But the superior force of the assail- 
ants enabled them constant^ to bring fresh warriors into the 
action. They now set fire to the main building, and man}^ of 
the out-houses. The shrieks of the women and children went 
up to high heaven. 

To Patrick's loom-house had been attached some extra 
picketing, forming what was improperly termed a bastion. 
Hither Captain Bailey, and those of his command who sur- 
vived, entered, and continued to pour upon the savages a 
most deadly fire. Many citizens attempted to reach that 
spot, now the only one of the least security. The venerable 
David Mims, attempting to pass to the bastion, received a 
large ball in the neck ; the blood gushed out : he exclaimed, 
" Oh God, I am a dead man !" and fell upon his face. A 
cruel w T arrior cut around his head, and waved his hoary scalp 
exultingly in the air. Some poor Spaniards, who had de- 
serted from the Pensacola garrison, kneeled around the well 
and crossed themselves, and, while interceding with the Most 
High, were despatched with tomahawks. " To the bastion ! 1813 

r August 30 

to the bastion !" was now the fearful cry of the survivors. 
Soon it was full to overflowing. The weak, wounded and 
feeble, were pressed to death and trodden under foot. ' The 



274 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter spot presented the appearance of one immense mass of human 
beings, herded together too close to defend themselves, and, 
like beeves in the slaughter-pen of the butcher, a prey to 
those who fired upon them. The large building had fallen, 
carrying with it the scorched bodies of the Baileys and 
others on the roof, and the large number of women and 
children in the lower story. The flames began to reach the 
people in the bastion. Dr. Thomas G. Holmes, an assistant 
surgeon in the garrison, seized an axe, cut some pickets in two, 
but did not take them down, suffering them to remain until 
a suitable opportunity offered to escape. The brave Dixon 
Bailey now cried aloud that all was lost, that his family were 
to be butchered, and begged all to make their escape, if pos- 
sible. His negro man, Tom, (still living, at Sisemore's plan- 
tation,) took up his favorite son, who was thirteen years of 
age, but feeble with the fever, and bore him through the 
pickets, which Holmes now threw down, and gained the 
woods in safety. But, strange to say, the infatuated negro 
presently brought back the poor boy to a squad of hostiles, 
who dashed out his brains with war-clubs. Little Ralph cried 
out, " Father, father, save me !" Of his Heavenly Father 
the poor little heathen had probably never heard. 

In front of the northern line of picketing was a fence, fifty 
yards distant, in every lock of which many warriors had 
placed themselves, to cut off all retreat ; besides which, others 
stationed themselves, at various points, to shoot those who 
should run. Dr. Holmes, Captain Bailey, and a negro wo- 
man named Hester, the property of Benjamin Steadham, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 275 

were the first to escape through the aperture. Holmes re- chapter 
ceiving, in his flight, several balls through his clothes, but no 

°' 5 ' ° 1813 

wounds, strangely made his way over the fence, gained the August 30 
swamp, and concealed himself in a clay hole, formed by the 
prostration of an immense tree. Bailey reached the swamp, 
but, being badly wounded, died by the side of a cypress 
stump. Hester received a severe wound in the breast, but 
reached a canoe in the lake, paddled to Fort Stoddart that 
night, and was the first to give intelligence to General Clai- 
borne of the horrible affair. 

Returning again to the fatal spot, every house was seen to 
be in flames. The bastion was broken down, the helpless 
inmates were butchered in the quickest manner, and blood 
and brains bespattered the whole earth. The children were 
seized by the legs, and killed by beating their heads against 
the stockading. The women were scalped, and those who 
were pregnant were opened, while they were alive, and the 
embryo infants let out of the womb. Weatherford had, 
some time previous, left the horrid scene. He had implored 
the warriors to spare the women and children, and reproached 
them for their barbarity ; but his own life was threatened, for 
interposing, many clubs were raised over his head, and he 
was forced to retire. In after years, he never thought of that 
bloody occasion without the most painful emotions. He had 
raised the storm, but he could not control it. 

The British agents, at Pensacola, had offered a reward of 
five dollars for every American scalp. The Indians jerked the 
skin from the whole head, and, collecting all the effects which 



276 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter the fire had not consumed, retired to the east, one mile from 

XXXIII. 

the ruins, to spend the night, where they smoked their pipes 
August 30 and trimmed and dried their scalps. The battle had lasted 
from twelve to five o'clock. 

Of the large number in the fort, all were killed or burned 
up, except a few half-bloods, who were made prisoners, 
some negroes, reserved for slaves, and the following persons, 
who made their escape and lived : Dr. Thomas G. Holmes ; 
Hester, a negro woman ; Socca, a friendly Indian ; Peter 
Ran don, lieutenant of citizen's company ; Josiah Fletcher ; 
Sergeant Mathews, the coward ; Martin Rigdon ; Samuel 

Smith, a half-breed; Mourrice, Joseph Perry, Mississippi 

volunteers ; Jesse Steadham ; Edward Steadham ; John Ho- 

ven ; Jones ; and Lieutenant W. R. Chambliss, of the 

Mississippi volunteers. 

Dr. Holmes lay concealed in the clay hole until nine o'clock 
at night. The Gin-House, at the Boat Yard, had been fired, 
and the conflagration threw a light over the surrounding 
country, in addition to that still afforded by the ruins of Fort 
Mims. Hence, he was forced to resume his position, until 
twelve o'clock, when the flames died away. Remembering 
that he had never learned to swim, he abandoned the idea 
which he first entertained, of crossing the Alabama, and ma- 
king his way to Mount Vernon. He, therefore, bent hisv-ourse 
towards the high lands. He frequently came upon small 
Indian fires, around which the bloody warriors lay in profound 
sleep. Bewildered and shocked, in every direction in which 
he turned, by unwelcome and fearful sights like these, he at 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 277 

length, after a great deal of winding and turning, fell back chapter 
into the river swamp, hid in a clump of thick canes, and there 
subsisted upon water, mutton reed and roots. All this time he 
was in the immediate neighborhood of the scene of the tragical 
events we have described, and heard, distinctly, the Indians kill- 
ing the stock of the citizens. When silence ensued, after the 
fifth day, he made his w r ay to the Race-Track, and from thence 
to Pine-Log Creek, where he spent the night. Reaching 
Buford's Island the next day, and seeing the tracks of people 
and horses, he determined to fall in with them, although they 
should prove to be hostile Indians, so desperate had he be- 
come from starvation. At the Tensaw Lake, Holmes found 
the horses tied, and, rejoicing to find that they belonged to 
his friends, fired off his gun. John Buford and his party, 
supposing the discharge proceeded from the war party, fled 
up into a bayou, in a boat, where they remained two days. 
The disappointed Holmes went to the abandoned house of 
Buford, where he fortunately obtained some poultry, which 
he devoured without cooking. Three days afterwards he 
was discovered by Captain Buford, and conveyed to Mount 
Vernon, where the other fourteen who escaped, had arrived, 
and reported him among the slain. 

Martin Rigdon, Samuel Smith, Joseph Perry, Mour- 

rice, and Jesse Steadham, escaped through the picketing to- 
gether. The latter was shot through the thigh, early in the 
action, and Mourrice in the shoulder. Leaping the fence in 
front of the bastion, over the heads of the squatting Indians, 



2Y8 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter they reached the swamp, where they remained three days, 
when, finding an old canoe below the Boat Yard, they made 
their escape to Mount Vernon. Edward Steadham, who was 
wounded in the hand, while flying from the bastion, entered 
the swamp, swam the Alabama, above the Cut-Off, and arrived 
at Mount Vernon, four days after the massacre. All the 
others who escaped so miraculously made their way, with 
success, through the Indian ranks, and had many similar 
adventures, reaching the American head-quarters at the most 
imminent peril. Lieutenant Chambliss had received two se- 
vere wounds in the fort, and, in running across the field, re- 
ceived another. Reaching the woods, he crept into a log- 
heap. At night, a party of warriors set fire to it, for the 
purpose of smoking their pipes, and, when the heat was 
becoming intolerable, and he would soon have been forced to 
discover himself, they fortunately were called off, to another 
camp-fire. He left that place immediately, wandered about, 
and, for a long time, was supposed to be dead. He made 
his way, however, to Mount Vernon, and, from thence, went 
to Soldier's Retreat, the residence of General Claiborne, near 
Natchez, where Dr. John Coxe, an eminent surgeon, extracted 
two arrow-heads and a ball from his body.* 

The day after the fall of Fort Mims, the Indians began to 
bury their dead, by laying their bodies between the potatoe- 
ro ws, and drawing dirt and vines over them ; but, from the 
great number of the dead, it was abandoned. Many were 

* Claiborne's MS. papers. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



279 



also wounded, who were put in canoes, and conveyed up the chapter 

XXXIII 

river. Others, wounded, started home on foot, and died at 
Burnt Corn Spring. Most of those who were unhurt remained 
in the neighborhood, to kill and plunder, while another party 
went to Pensacola, with the scalps, suspended upon poles.* 

Zachariah McGirtli was the son of James McGirth, who 
was, as we have seen, an unprincipled but brave man, and a 
captain of a company of tories, during the revolutionary war, 
called the " Florida Rangers," forming a part of a battalion 
commanded by his brother, Colonel Daniel McGirth. When 
the war terminated, Captain James McGirth fled to the Creek 
nation, with his children, among whom was Zachariah. The 
latter married a half-breed Creek woman, named Vicey Curnells, 
had become wealthy, and was now an inmate of Fort Mims, 
with his wife and eight children. About ten o'clock, on the 
day of the massacre, McGirth entered a boat, with two of 
his negroes, and went out of Lake Tensaw into the Alabama, 
with the view of ascending that river to his plantation, which 1813 

° * August 30 

was situated below Claiborne, for some provisions. Reaching 
the Cut-Off, he heard a heavy discharge of guns at Fort 
Minis. "With pain and anxiety, he continued to listen to the 
firing, and, running his boat a mile down the river, in a small 

* I am indebted to Dr. Thomas G. Holmes, of Baldwin county, 
Alabama, for the prominent facts in the aforegoing narrative of the fall 
of Fort Mims. He made notes of the horrible affair a few years after 
the massacre took place, while the facts were fresh in his memory. I 
also conversed with Jesse Steadham, of Baldwin, and Lieutenant Peter 
Randon, the latter of whom I found in New-Orleans, who also escaped. 
VOL. II. 15 



280 

CHAPTER 
XXXIII. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1813 

August 



bayou, resolved to remain there, being firmly impressed with 
the belief that the Indians had attacked the fort. Late in 
the evening the firing ceased, and presently he saw clouds of 
black smoke rise above the forest trees, which was succeeded 
by flames. The unhappy McGirth now well knew that all 
was lost, and that, in all probability, his family had perished 
in the flames. Being a bold man, like his father, he resolved 
to go through the swamp, with his negroes, to the fatal spot. 
When he came within a quarter of a mile of the fort, he 
placed the negroes in a concealed place; and approached 
alone. All was gloomy and horrible. Dogs, in great num- 
ber, ran all over the woods, terrified beyond measure. Seeing 
that the savages had left the ruins, he returned for his ne- 
groes, and, a little after twilight, cautiously advanced. Mc- 
Girth stood aghast at the horrible spectacle. Bodies lay in 
piles, in the sleep of death, bleeding, scalped, mutilated. His 
eyes everywhere fell upon forms half burned up, but still 
cracking and frying upon the glowing coals. In vain did he 
and his faithful slaves seek for the bodies of his family. Pile 
after pile was turned over, but no discovery could be made, 
for the features of but few could be recognized. He turned 
' his back upon the bloody place, crossed the swamp to his 
. boat, and paddled down the Alabama to Mount Vernon, with 
a sad and heavy heart. 

McGirth, now alone in the world, became a desperate man, 
ready to brave the greatest clangers for the sake of revenge. 
During the Creek war, he was often employed in riding ex- 
presses from the Tombigby to Georgia, when no one else 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 281 



could be found daring enough to go through the heart of the 
enemy's country. After a long service, amid such dangers, a 
friend accosted him one day, in Mobile, and told him some 
people desired to see him at the wharf. Repairing there, he 
saw — a common sight in those days — some wretched Indians, 
who had been captured. He was asked if he knew them. 
Hesitating, his wife and seven children advanced and em- 
braced him. A torrent of joy and profound astonishment 
overwhelmed him. He trembled like a leaf, and was, for 
some minutes, speechless. 

Many years before the dreadful massacre at Fort Mims, a 
little hungry Indian boy, named Sanota — an orphan, house- 
less and friendless — stopped at the house of Vicey McGirth. 
She fed and clothed him, and he grew to athletic manhood. 
He joined the war party, and formed one of the expedi- 
tion against Fort Mims. Like the other warriors, he was 
engaged in hewing and hacking the females to pieces, towards 
the close of the massacre, when he suddenly came upon Mrs. 
McGirth and his foster-sisters. Pity and gratitude taking- 
possession of his heart, he thrust them in a corner, and nobly 
made his broad savage breast a rampart for their protection. 
The next day he carried them off, upon horses, towards the 
Coosa, under the pretence that he had reserved them from 
death for his slaves. Arriving at his home, he sheltered them, 
hunted for them, and protected them from Indian brutality. 
One day he told his adopted mother that he was going to fight 
Jackson, at the Horse-Shoe, and that, if he should be killed, 
she must endeavor to reach her friends below 7 . Sure enough, 



CHAPTER 
XXXIII. 



282 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter the noble Sanota soon lay among the slain at Cholocco Lite- 

XXXIII. 

bixee. Mrs. McGirth now being without a protector, and in 
a hostile region, started off on foot, with her children, for 
Fort Claiborne. After much suffering, they reached their 'de- 
serted farm, below Claiborne, where Major Blue, at the head 
of a company of horse, discovered these miserable objects, 
and carried them to Mobile, where the interview just related 
took place, with the astonished husband, who imagined that 
he had, some months before, surveyed their half-burnt bodies, 
upon the field of Fort Minis. His son was the only member 
of his family who had perished upon that bloody occasion.* 

General Claiborne despatched Major Joseph P. Kennedy, 
with a strong detachment, to Fort Mims, from his head-quar- 
ters at Mount Vernon, for the purpose of interring the dead. 
September 9 Upon arriving there, Kennedy found the air darkened with 
buzzards, and hundreds of dogs, which had run wild, gnaw- 
ing upon the human carcasses. The troops, with heavy 
hearts, succeeded in interring many bodies, in two large pits,, 
which they dug. " Indians, negroes, white men, women and 
children, lay in one promiscuous ruin. All were scalped, and 
the females, of every age, were butchered in a manner which 
neither decency nor language will permit me to describe. The 
main building was burned to ashes, which were rilled with 
bones. The plains and the woods around were covered with 

* Conversations with Colonel Robert James, of Clarke county, Ala- 
bama, who often heard vIcGirth relate these particulars. McGirth, in 
1834, made the same statements to me. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 283 

dead bodies. All the houses were consumed by fire, except chapter 

XXXIII 

the block-house, and a part of the pickets. The soldiers and 
officers, with one voice, called on Divine Providence to revenge 
the death of our murdered friends."* 

In drawing our account of this sanguinary affair to a conclu- 
sion, it is proper to observe that General Claiborne was in no 
way to blame for the unfortunate result. He corresponded with 
Beasley, heard from him almost every day, an<yn his despatches 
constantly urged him to be prepared to meet the enemy. Clai- 
borne, from every quarter, received distressing messages implor- 
ing assistance, and we have already seen how judiciously he dis- 
tributed his forces, as far as it lay in his power, for their pro- 
tection, contrary to the instructions of Flournoy, who endea- 
vored to confine his operations chiefly to the defence of Mo- 
bile and the country below Ellicott's line. Just before the 
attack upon Fort Minis, he headed a large detachment of 
horse, and rushed to the defence of the people at Easley's 
station, upon the Tombigby, near the Choctaw line, whom he 
was induced to believe a large party of Choctaws and Creeks 
intended shortly to attack. They, however, did not appear, 
and, leaving a strong guard for the defence of that fort, he 
hastened back to Mount Vernon, and arrived there at twelve 
o'clock at night, after a march of seventy miles that day. 
He was there shocked to learn the fate of the garrison of 
Fort Mims. Supposing that he had already returned to 
Mount Vernon, Beasley addressed him a letter, two hours, 

* Major Kennedy's MS. report to General Claiborne. 



1813 

August 24 



2g4 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter only, before the Indians entered the gate, declaring his ability 

XXXIII 

to maintain the post against any number of the enemy.* 
The major was as brave a man as ever lived, but neither he 
nor his officers, attached to the Mississippi division, believed 
that the enemy were at hand, so often had reports reached 
them, which they pronounced untrue, because they were not 
immediately realized, as in the case of the negro who was 
whipped, and of jhe other, who was killed by the Indians, 
while tied up, ready to receive the lash.f 

* Beasley's letter, found among Claiborne's MS. papers. 

•J- The people at Fort Pierce, when the attack was made at Fort 
Mims, made their way, under Lieutenant Montgomery, to Mobile, 
where they safely arrived. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 285 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

DARING OF HEATON— BLOODY SCENES— GAINES 
AND THE CHOCTAWS. 

While the larger body of Creeks were destroying the PHAPTER 
people at Fort Mims, Francis, the prophet, at the head of a xxxiv. 
hundred warriors, was spreading his depredations in the fork 
of the Alabama and Tombigby. Abner James and Hansom 
Kemball, with their large families, being inmates of Fort 
Sinquefield, and becoming dissatisfied at remaining among 
so many people, repaired to the house of Kemball, situated 
two miles from the fort. Here they were living, when Fran- 
cis suddenly surrounded the house, about three o'clock in the 1813 
evening. Abner James, his son Thomas, then fourteen years eptem er 
of age, and his daughter Mary, escaped, and fled to the fort. 
Isam Kemball, then sixteen years of age, also safely reached 
Sinquefields, and is now the clerk of the Circuit Court of 
Clarke county. All the others were despatched with war- 
clubs, and scalped. After killing the stock and robbing the 
house, the Indians retired to the swamps. In the early part 
of the night, a slight rain commenced, which, it is believed, 
revived Sarah Merrill, the married daughter of James, whom 
15* 



286 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter the Indians had supposed to be dead. She felt among 

XXXIV. 

the bodies, which lay thick around her, and found her little 
boy, twelve months old, who also, fortunately, was alive. 
Some warm milk from her breast revived him more and 
more. Taking him in her arms, she, with difficulty, got upon 
her feet, and slowly walked towards the fort. Arriving with- 
in a half mile of that place, her bleeding wounds, weakening 
her at every step, forced her to place the babe by the side of 
a log, while she went on and communicated his hiding-place 
to the anxious garrison. Some generous men boldly sallied 
out, found the boy, and brought him to the fort. They are 
both now alive. The young woman was severely beaten with 
large clubs, and the scalp of the entire top of her head 
taken off. The savages slung the little fellow against the 
side of the house, and cut around his head, but his hair being 
too short, they did not pull off his scalp. 

Hearing of the murders, Colonel Carson despatched from 
Fort Montgomery Lieutenant Bailey, with seven dragoons, 
and three men employed as spies, to bury the dead, and ascer- 
tain if the Indians were numerous. Twelve bodies were con- 
veyed to Fort Sinquefield, in an ox-cart, and thrown into a 
pit, dug fifty yards from the gate. About the time that the 
funeral ceremonies were closing, and while nearly the whole 
garrison were engaged therein, Francis suddenly rushed, with 
a hundred warriors, down a hill, towards them. The men 
snatched up the children, and every one of them reached the 
gate in time, except about ten women, at the spring, who 
were engaged in washing. The Indians, failing to cut off the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



287 



1813 

September 3 



retreat of the main party, perceived with delight the helpless chapter 
condition of these females, and rushed in that direction, to 
secure them. Just at that moment, Isaac Heaton, who had 
been out cow-hunting, riding up, with his long whip and 
large pack of dogs, gave a tremendous crack, and, encoura- 
ging his canine army, charged upon the Indians. Such was 
the fury of the dogs, that the Creeks were forced to halt and 
fight them, which enabled Heaton to cover the retreat of the 
women, until they arrived safely in the fort. His horse fell 
under him, from the wound of an Indian gun, but rose again, 
and followed into the fort his heroic master, who had received 
no other injury than the riddling of his coat with rifle-balls. 
Only one poor woman — a Mrs. Philips, who was in an ad- 
vanced state of pregnancy — was overtaken and scalped. 

Heaton deserves to be remembered for this achievement — 
an eminent exemplification of bravery and presence of mind. 
The Indians now attacked the little stockade, but a brave 
resistance repelled them, with the loss of eleven warriors. 
Then, securing the dragoon horses, which had been tethered 
outside the walls, the savages rapidly retired. The Ameri- 
cans, having lost only one of their number, besides the unfor- 
tunate Mrs. Philips, the next day evacuated Sinquefield's fort, 
and marched to Fort Madison, for better security, where the 
inmates of Forts Glass and Lavier had also flocked, swelling 
the population to over one thousand souls, including the com- 
mand of Colonel Carson, of two hundred and twenty men. 

Occasionally, the farmers were accustomed to leave Fort 
Madison, for a few hours, to procure from their fields provi- 



September4 



288 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1813 

September ( 



chapter sions for immediate use. A man, named Fisher, with three 

XXXIV. 

of his sons, set out for that purpose, and, arriving at the farm, 
one of the boys was shot in the back, while shelling some 
peas in the yard. Instantly rising up, he made his escape to 
to the woods. His father, then in the cane, running out to 
learn the cause of the firing, was also severely wounded in 
the back, but likewise made his way to the forest. The other 
two sons, being in a different part of the field, fled to the fort, 
and reported the death of their brother and father. The next 
day, however, they came in, bleeding from their wounds, and 
happily recovered.* 

These things, following so closely upon the fall of Fort 
Minis, filled the whole population of the eastern section of 
the Mississippi Territory with the greatest panic imaginable, 
and every soul went into some kind of defensive work. Fort 
Hawn, at Gullet's Bluff, contained a mixed population of 
three hundred and ninety-one souls, including sixty men 
under Captain James Powell, of the eighth regiment of Mis- 
sissippi militia. At Mount Vernon were two forts, literally 
packed with people. Rankin's fort contained five hund- 
red and thirty persons — of whom only eighty-seven were 
capable of bearing arms, in consequence of the sickness which 
everywhere prevailed in these filthy stockades. Fort Char- 
lotte, of Mobile, was also daily receiving families. To this 
place Judge Toulmin and a number of his neighbors had 

* Conversations with the late Colonel Gerard W. Creagh, of Clarke 
county, Colonel Jere. Austill, of Mobile, and others. See, also, Clai- 
borne's MS. papers. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 289 

repaired. Perhaps greater inquietude existed at St. Stephens chapter 

XXXIV 

than at any other point, if, indeed, any line of distinction 
can be drawn. Claiborne, all the time, was harassed by 
distressing messages, which hourly reached him, and his 
generous heart was racked, day and night, in revolving plans 
to assist them all ; but he was unable to do more than he had 
already accomplished, on account of the smallness of his army 
and the restrictions put upon him by the commander-in-chief. 
% The enemy continued to spread their depredations, distri- 
buting themselves in all directions, burning the abandoned 
houses, driving off the cattle, and herding the hogs in the 
corn-tie] ds, to fatten, that their flesh might be in good order 
for their feastings. Colonel Carson's condition was unknown 
to Claiborne, and, from the continued reports which he re- 
ceived, that a combined attack was soon to be made upon 
Fort Madison, the general transmitted him an order to aban- 
don his post, and march to St. Stephens, which was deemed 
a more important point to defend. The order was discretion- 1813 

1 x September 8 

ary, however, but Carson and his officers viewed it as rather 
peremptory. He started, with all his force, to St. Stephens, 
accompanied by five hundred settlers, of all ages and sexes. 
This created great consternation in the Fork, and Claiborne 
was unjustly denounced, for having abandoned the whole 
population of Clarke county. But if Carson had chosen to 
remain, it would have fully accorded with the views of the 
general. The movement was unnecessary, and served to 
embolden the savages. When the evacuation took place, 
eighty citizens enrolled themselves, under Captain Evan Aus- 



290 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter till and Captain Sam Dale, (the latter still suffering from the 
xxxiv. ^ eS p erate woun( j. which he received at Burnt Corn,) all of 
whom determined to stay within Fort Madison, to protect a 
number of citizens, who preferred to remain. A despatch 
from Claiborne, dated the 8th of September, urging Carson 
" not to abandon the fort, unless it was clear that he could 
not maintain it," arrived too late, as that officer was already 
in the neighborhood of St. Stephens.* 

The British were hovering along the coast, to give their 
red friends countenance and aid. A British war schooner had 
anchored at Pensacola, with a large supply of munitions of 

Se temLr 29 war * Afterwards, Mexco Gonzales Manique, the Governor of 
Pensacola, addressed a letter to Weatherford and the Chiefs, 
congratulating them on their late victory at Fort Mims, assu- 
ring them of his constant aid, but dissuading them from 
setting fire to Mobile, as that place prop'erly belonged to the 
King of Spain, which his majesty would shortly re-occupy.f 

While all was doubt and uncertainty as to the position 
which the Choctaws would assume, at this critical juncture, 
Pushmatahaw, the most enlightened and influential Chief of 
that nation, rode to St. Stephens, and proposed to Mr. George 
S. Gaines to enlist several companies of his warriors in the 

* Claiborne's MS. papers. 

| This letter was found in Weatherford's house, at the Holy Ground, 
several months afterwards, and is yet among the MS. papers of Gene- 
ral Claiborne. All these papers furnish the most indubitable evidence 
of the coalition between the Spaniards and English, to exterminate the 
population of the Mississippi Territory. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



291 



American cause. Gratified at the proposition, the latter chapter 

XXXIV. 

hastened with the Chief to Mobile, and had an interview 
with General Flournoy, in Fort Charlotte, who strangely 
declined to receive the Choctaws as United States soldiers. 
With deep mortification, Gaines and the Chief returned to 
St. Stephens, and while the citizens, who had surrounded 
them when they rode up, were cursing Flournoy for his folly, 
a horse was seen at a distance, bearing a rider with great 
speed. Flournoy had reconsidered the matter, and had sent 
a messenger, authorizing Gaines to go into the Choctaw na- 
tion to raise troops. The people gave a shout, and all hearts 
were made glad. Every one had feared that the Choctaws 
would join the Creeks, and now, through the influence of 
Pushmatahaw, it was believed they would actually assist the 
Americans. In company with Colonel Flood McGrew and 
the Chief, Gaines departed immediately for the Choctaw 
country, with no other provisions than some jerked beef. 
Colonel John McKee, agent of the Chickasaws, met them at 
Peachland's, where they held a consultation, while Pushma- 
tahaw went home, to assemble his people in council. They 
were living under three distinct governments : the eastern 
district was governed by Pushmatahaw, the western by Puck- 
shenubbee, and the north-western by Mushelatubba. In a 
few days Gaines reached the council-ground, where over five 
thousand Choctaws were encamped. Pushmatahaw harangued 
them in a long speech, full of eloquence and ingenuity, in 
which he said, among many other things, " You know Tecum- 
seh. He is a bad man. He came through our nation, but 



292 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter did not turn our heads. He went among the Muscogees, and 

XXXIV. 

got many of them to join him. You know the Tensaw peo- 
ple. They were our friends. They played ball with us. 
They sheltered and fed us, whenever we went to Pensacola. 
Where are they now ? Their bodies rot at Sam Mims's place. 
The people at St. Stephens are also our friends. The Musco- 
gees intend to kill them too. They want soldiers to defend 
them. (He here drew out his sword, and flourishing it, 
added :) You can all do as you please. You are all freemen. 
I dictate to none of you. But I shall join the St. Stephens 
people. If you have a mind to follow me, I will lead you to 
glory and to victory I" A warrior rose up, slapped his hand 
upon his breast, and said : "lama man ! I am a man ! I 
will follow you !" All of them now slapped their breasts, a gene- 
ral shout went up, and Gaines was filled with joy at the result. 
In the meantime, Colonel McKee was equally successful 
with the Chickasaws, being greatly aided in his efforts by the 
influence of John Peachland. McKee, at the head of a large 
force of Chickasaws, marched to the Tuscaloosa Falls, to at- 
tack the Creek town at that place, but found it reduced to 
ashes. The inhabitants had fled. Returning to Peachland's, 
at the mouth of the Octibaha, the force separated, one party 
going to their homes and the other to St. Stephens, to join 
General Claiborne, who had laudably exerted himself to pro- 
cure the aid of these powerful tribes.* 

* Conversations with Mr. George S. Gaines. See Claiborne's MS. 
papers. 



1813 

October 



PLAN 



BATTLE OF 



TALLADEGA. 



Order ot'March. 

Cavalrv & Mow xtecl Rifle men 
— is> 



Flankers. 




F lankers 



REFERENCES. 

1 Jackson's position. 

2 Friendly Indians. 

3 Hostile Indians en- 

camped around the 
Spring. 

4 Advance under Col. 

Carroll, sent forward 
to bring on the en- 
gagement. 

5 Gap between the Ca- 

valry and Infantry, 
through which many 
Indians escaped. 



Ach 



Order of Battle. 
Reseve u nder I ^Cof Lye 




THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 293 



1813 
October 11 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

BATTLES OF TALLASEHATCHE, TALLADEGA AND 
AUTTOSE. 

The arrival of an express, at Nashville, with letters from chapter 
Mr. George S. Gaines to General Jackson and the governor, xxx v. 
conveying the distressing intelligence of the massacre at Fort 
Mims, and imploring their assistance, created great excite- 
ment, and the Tennesseans volunteered their services to 
avenge the outrage. General Jackson, at the head of a large 
force, passed through Huntsville, crossed the Tennessee at 
Ditto's Landing, and joined Colonel Coffee, who had been 
despatched in advance, and who had encamped opposite the 
upper end of an island on the south side of the river, three 
miles above the landing. Remaining here a short time, the 
army advanced higher up, to Thompson's Creek, to meet sup- 
plies, which had been ordered down from East Tennessee. 
In the meantime, Colonel Coffee marched, with six hundred 
horse, to Black Warrior's town, upon the river of that name, 
a hundred miles distant, which he destroyed by fire, having 
found it abandoned. Collecting about three hundred bushels 
of corn, he rejoined the main army at Thompson's Creek, 



294 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter without having seen an Indian. Establishing a defensive de- 
pot at this place, called Fort Deposite, Jackson, with great dif- 

o 18 b 3 28 fixity cut his way over the mountains to Wills' Creek, where, 
being out of bread, he encamped several days, to allow his 
foraging parties to collect provisions. The contractors had 
entirely failed to meet their engagements, and his army had, 
for some days, been in a perishing condition. 

Jackson despatched Colonel Dyer, Avith two hundred cav- 
alry, to attack the village of Littefutchee, situated at the 
head of Canoe Creek, twenty miles distant. They arrived 

October 29 there at four o'clock in the morning, burned down the town, 
and returned with twenty-nine prisoners, consisting of men, 
women and children. Another detachment, sent out to bring 
in beeves and corn, returned with two negroes and four In- 
dians, of the war party. These prisoners, together with two 
others brought in by Old Chinnobe and his son, were sent to 
Huntsville. 

The Creeks having assembled at the town of Tallasehatche, 
thirteen miles from the camp, the commander-in-chief des- 
patched Coffee, now promoted to the rank of brigadier-gene- 
ral, with one thousand men, with one-half of whom he was 
directed to attack the enemy, and with the other half to scour 
the country near the Ten Islands, for the purpose of covering 
his operations. Richard Brown, with a company of Creeks and 
Cherokees, wearing on their heads distinguishing badges of 
white feathers and deer's tails, accompanied the expedition. 
Fording the Coosa at the Fish Dam, four miles above the 
islands, Coffee advanced to Tallasehatche, surrounded it at 



1813 
November 3 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 295 

the rising of the sun, and was fiercely met by the savages, chapter 

XXXV. 

with whoops and the sounding of drums — the prophets being 
in advance. Attacking the decoy companies, they were soon 
surrounded by the troops, who charged them with great 
slaughter. After a short but terrible action, eighty-four 
women and children were made prisoners, while the bodies of 
one hundred and eighty-six warriors were counted upon the 
field, where, unavoidably, some women also perished. Many 
other bodies lay concealed in the w-eeds. Five Americans 
were killed and eighteen wounded. Late in the evening of 
the same day, CoiTee re-crossed the Coosa, and reached head- 
quarters. Not a solitary warrior begged for his life, and it is 
believed none escaped to the woods. These prisoners were 
also sent to Huntsville. General Jackson, now forcing his 
way over the Coosa mountain, arrived at the Ten Islands, 
where he began to erect a second depot for supplies, which 
was protected by strong picketing and block-houses, and 
which received the name of Fort Strother. 

In Lashley's fort in the Talladega town, many friendly Creeks 
had taken refuge. The war party, in strong force, had surround- 
ed them so effectually, that not a solitary warrior could escape 
from the fort unseen, to convey to the American camp intelli- 
gence of their critical condition. One night, a prominent 
Indian, who belonged to the Hickory Ground town, resolved 
to escape to the lines of Jackson, by Indian stratagem. He 
threw over him the skin of a large hog, with the head and 
legs attached, and placing himself in a stooping position, 
went out of the fort and crawled about before the camps of 



296 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter the hostiles, grunting and apparently rooting, until he slowly 

XXXV. " 

got beyond the reach of their arrows. Then, discarding his 
swinish mantle, he fled with the speed of lightning to Jack- 
son, who resolved immediately to relieve these people. The 
commander-in-chief, leaving a small guard to protect his 

November 8 cam P a11 ^ S ^ C K P l, t ms troops in motion at the hour of mid- 
night, and forded the Coosa, here six hundred yards wide, 
with a rocky, uneven bottom. Each horseman carried be- 
hind him a footman, until the whole army was over. Late 
that evening he encamped within six miles of Talladega. At 

November 9 four o'clock the next morning, Jackson surrounded the enemy, 
making a wide circuit, with twelve hundred infantry and eight 
hundred cavalry. The hostiles, to the number of one thous- 
and and eighty, were concealed in a thick shrubbery that cov- 
ered the margin of a small rivulet, and at eight o'clock they 
received a heavy fire from the advance guard under Colonel 
Carroll. Screaming and yelling most horribly, the enemy 
rushed forth in the direction of General Roberts' brigade, a 
few companies of which gave way at the first fire. Jackson 
directed Colonel Bradley to fill the chasm with his regiment, 
which had not advanced in a line with the others ; but that 
officer failing to obey the order, Colonel Dyer's reserve dis- 
mounted, and met the approaching enemy with great firm- 
ness. The retreating militia, mortified at seeing their places 
so promptly filled, recovered their former position, and dis- 
played much bravery. The action now became general along 
the whole line, while the Indians, who had at first fought 
courageously, were now seen flying in all directions. But, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. ^97 

owing to the halt of Bradley's regiment, and the cavalry chapter 

XXXV 

under Alcorn having taken too wide a circuit, many escaped 
to the mountains. A general charge was made, and the wood 
for miles was covered with dead savages. Their loss was 
very great, and could not be ascertained. However, two hun- 
dred and ninety-nine bodies were counted on the main field. 
Fifteen Americans were killed, and eighty-five wounded. The 
latter were conveyed to Fort Strother in litters made of raw 
hides. The fort contained one hundred and sixty friendly 
warriors, with their wives and children, who were all to have 
been butchered the very morning that Jackson attacked their ^ T 181 ^ 

J ° November 9 

assailants. Never was a party of poor devils more rejoiced 
at being relieved. General Pillow of the infantry, Colonel 
Lauderdale of the cavalry, Major Boyd of the mounted rifle- 
men, and Lieutenant Barton, were wounded — the last named 
mortally. Colonel Bradley was arrested for disobedience of 
orders, but was released without a trial. Jackson buried his 
dead, and marched back to Fort Strother as rapidly as possi- 
ble, for he was out of provisions. Arriving there, he was November U 
mortified to find none at that point for him.* 

About the time that the Middle and West Tennessee vol- 
unteers flocked to the standard of Jackson, a large body of 
volunteers from East Tennessee rendezvoused to march to the 

* A portion of the Talladega battle-field is now (1851) embraced 
within the limits of the beautiful and flourishing American town of that 
name, which contains a population of near two thousand, and is situ- 
ated in a delightful valley, with magnificent mountain scenery in view. 
VOL. IT. 16 



298 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter seat of war under Major-General John Cocke, Shortly after- 

XXXV. 

wards, General White, commanding a detachment of one 
thousand men, belonging to Cocke's force, advanced to Turkey 

1813 

Novembers Town. From this place he reported to Jackson that he 
would, tlic next day, march in the direction of head-quarters,, 
and should, in the meantime, he glad to receive his orders. 

November The latter ordered him to march to Fort Strother, and protect 
that place during his absence to Talladega, where, he informed 
him, he intended immediately to march to the relief of the 
garrison of Lashley's fort. While White was on the march 
to Fort Strother, to comply with this requisition, he received 
a despatch from General Cocke, ordering him to alter his 
route, and form a junction with him at the mouth of the ( 'hat- 
tooga. This order he obeyed, preferring to comply with the 
commands of Cocke rather than those of Jackson, although 
the latter was generally considered the commander-in-chief 
of all the troops from Tennessee. Jackson was shocked at 
receiving an account of the retrograde march of White, and 
that, too, at a late hour of night, previous to the battle of 
Talladega ; and it determined him to attack the Indians forth- 
with, and rush back to Fort Strother, now left with a very 
feeble protection. 

However, before General White had reached Turkey Town, 
his advance-guard, consisting of four hundred Cherokees and 
a few whites under Colonel Gideon Morgan and John Low- 
rey, advanced upon the town of Tallasehatche on the evening 
of the 3d November, and found that it had that morning 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 299 



been destroyed by Coffee. Collecting twenty of the wounded chapter 

XXXV. 

Indians, they returned with them to Turkey Town. 

The mischiefs of a want of concert between the East and 
West Tennessee troops — growing out of a jealousy of the 
former, and a strong desire to share some of the glory which 
the latter had already acquired in the few battles they had 
fought — were, in a very few days, made quite apparent. 
Through Robert Graison, an aged Scotchman, the Hillabees 
(a portion of whom fought Jackson at Talladega) made offers 
of peace, to which the general immediately and willingly ac- 
ceded. At that very time, and when Graison had hastened 
back with the favorable reply of Jackson, General White sur- 
rounded the Hillabee town early in the morning, and effected Nov ^ er 18 
a complete surprise, killing sixty warriors and taking two 
hundred and fifty prisoners. The Hillabees, it is asserted, 
made not the slightest resistance. At all events, not a drop 
of Tennessee blood was spilt. The other Hillabee towns, 
viewing this as flagrant treachery on the part of Jackson, 
became the most relentless enemies of the Americans, and 
afterwards fought them with fiendish desperation. The de- 
struction of this town was in pursuance of the orders of Gene- 
ral Cocke. White, in marching down, had already destroy- November 13 
ed Little Ocfuske and Genalga, both of which had been aban- 
doned by the inhabitants, with the exception of five warriors, 
who were captured at the former. 

General Cocke having given up the ambition of achieving 
separate victories, was now prepared to co-operate with Jack- 



300 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chafter S on, and for that purpose joined him at Fort Strother with 

XXXV 

fourteen hundred men. He was sent, by the commander-in- 
1813 ' J 

December 12 chief, back to East Tennessee, with a portion of his command, 
whose term of service had nearly expired, with orders to raise 
fifteen hundred men, and rejoin him in the Creek nation. 

Georgia, no less patriotic than Tennessee, soon came to the 
relief of her brethren of the Mississippi Territory. Briga- 
dier-General John Floyd crossed the Ockmulgee, Flint and 
Chattahoochie, and advanced near the Tallapoosa, with an 
army of nine hundred and fifty militia, and four hundred 
friendly Indians, piloted by Abram Mordecai, the Jew trader, 
of whom we have so often had occasion to speak. Before 

November 29 sunrise, on a cold frosty morning, Floyd attacked the Creeks, 
who were assembled in great force at the town of Auttose, 
which was situated on the east bank of the Tallapoosa, at the 
mouth of the Calebee Creek. Booth's battalion, which com- 
posed the right column, marched from the centre — Watson's 
composed the left, and marched from its right. Upon the 
flanks were the rifle companies of Adams and Merriweather — 
the latter commanded by Lieutenant Hendon. The artillery, 
under Captain Thomas, advanced in the road in front of the 
right column. General Floyd intended to surround the town, 
by throwing the right wing on Calebee Creek, at the mouth 
of which he was informed the town stood, and resting the 
left on the river bank below it ; but the dawn of day exhibit- 
ed, to his surprise, a second town, about five hundred yards 
below. It was now necessary to change the plan of attack, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. gQ^ 

by advancing three companies of infantry to the lower town, chapter 
accompanied by Merri weather's rifles, and two troops of light 
dragoons commanded by Captains Irwin and Steele. The 
remainder of the army marched upon the upper town, and 
soon the battle became general. The Indians at first advanc- 
ed, and fought with great resolution ; but the fire from the 
artillery, with the charge of the bayonets, drove them into 
the out-houses and thickets, in rear of the town. Many con- 
cealed themselves in caves cut in the bluff of the river, here 1813 

November 29 

thickly covered with cane. The admirable plans of General 
Floyd for the extermination of the foe, were not properly 
executed, owing to the failure of the friendly Indians to cross 
the Tallapoosa to the west side, and there cut off all retreat. 
The difficulty of the ford and the coolness of the morning- 
deterred them, as they stated ; but fear, in all probability, 
was the prime cause. They now irregularly fell back to the 
rear of the army. However, the Cowetas under Mcintosh, 
and the Tookabatchas under the Mad Dragon's Son, fell 
into the ranks, and fought with great bravery. The hour of 
nine o'clock witnessed the abandonment of the ground by the 
enemy, and the conflagration of the houses. From the num- 
ber of bodies scattered over the field, together with those 
burnt in the houses and slain on the blufT, it is believed that 
two hundred must have perished, among whom were the 
Kings of Tallase and Auttose. The 'number of buildings 
burned, some of which were of fine Indian architecture and 
filled with valuable articles, amounted to about four hundred. 



302 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter The Americans had eleven men killed and fifty -four wounded. 

XXXVa 

The friendly Indians had several killed and wounded. Im- 
portant services were rendered by Adjutant-General Newnan, 
the aids Majors Crawford and, Pace, and the surgeons Wil- 
liamson and Clopton. Major Freeman, at the head of Irwin's 
cavalry and part of Steele's, made bold charges upon the In- 
dians, completely routing them. The companies led on by 
Captains Thomas, Adams, Barton, Myrick, Little, King, Broad- 
nax, Cleveland, Cunningham, Lee, and Lieutenant Hendon, 
fought with gallantry. Brigadier-General Shackleford per- 
formed efficient services in successfully bringing the troops 
into action, and Adjutants Montgomery and Broadnax exhi- 
bited activity and courage. The battalion of Major Booth 
was properly brought into action, and that of Major Watson 
fought with commendable spirit. The cavalry under Irwin, 
Patterson and Steele, charged with success when opportunities 
were afforded. Great heroism was displayed by Quarter- 
Master Terrill, who, though badly wounded, escaped after his 
horse was shot under him. The horse of Lieutenant Strong- 
was shot under him, and he made a narrow escape. In seven 
days the troops had marched one hundred and twenty miles, 
and fought this battle. Being now r sixty miles from the depot 
of provisions, and the rations of the troops being nearly ex- 
hausted, Floyd, after the dead had been interred and the 
wounded properly attended, began the retrograde march to 
November 29 Fort Mitchell, upon the Chattahoochie. On ascending Hey- 
don's Hill, a mile east of the battle-ground, many of the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 3Q3 



Creeks rallied and fiercely attacked his rear ; but after a few chapter 

XXXV. 

rounds they were dispersed.* 



* Upon the campaigns of the Tennesseans under Jackson and Cocke, 
and the Georgians under Floyd, I have consulted the various works and 
public documents upon the late war, such as the lives of Jackson by 
Kendall, Cobbett, Eaton and Waldo, Russell's " History of the War," 
Brackenridge's History of the Late War, and the various American 
State Papers. 



16* 



3Q4 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

REMARKABLE CANOE FIGHT— BATTLE OF HOLY 
GROUND— MARCH TO CAHAWBA OLD TOWNS. 

chapter Returning again to the seat of war, in the fork of the 
xxxvi. Tombigby and Alabama, it will be seen that Colonel William 
October 4 McGrew advanced in pursuit of a party of the enemy, with 
twenty-five mounted militia. Coming upon them at Talla- 
hatta, or Barshi Creek, a spirited action ensued. Colonel 
McGrew was killed, together with three of his company — 
the two Griffins and Edmund Miles — which put the remain- 
der of the Americans to flight. 

General Flournoy, who had restricted the operations of 
October 12 Claiborne to those of a defensive character, now ordered the 
latter to advance with his army, for the purpose of defending 
the citizens, while employed in gathering their crops ; to drive 
the enemy from the frontiers, to follow them up to their con- 
tiguous towns, and to " kill, burn and destroy all their negroes, 
horses, cattle, and other property, that cannot conveniently 
be brought to the depots." General Flournoy admitted, in 
the same order, that such usage was contrary to that of civi- 
lized nations, but stated that the conduct of Great Britain 
and the acts of her Indian allies fully justified it. On the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 3Q5 



same day that these instructions were received, Claiborne, at chapter 

XXXVI. 

the head of Major Hind's Mississippi dragoons, a part of the 
twelve months volunteers, and some companies of militia, 
marched from St. Stephens, crossed the Tombigby, and pro- 
ceeded, by an indirect route, to the northern boundary, where 

1813 

Colonel McGrew had fallen. He found the body of that 0ctoberl6 
officer, and those of the privates, and interred them with 
military honors. On the march, small bodies of the enemy 
hovered around, but could not be brought into action. A 
picket of infantry was attacked, from an ambuscade, and 
three of them wounded ; but before Major Hinds, who was a 
little in the rear, could come up, the assailants leaped down a 
precipice, and escaped the pursuit of Captain Foster's de- 
tachment. Remaining two days at Fort Easley, upon Baker's 
Bluff, Claiborne scoured the whole country with detachments. 
In these expeditions he had rive of his men severely wounded, 
among whom was Capt. William Bradberry, who had acted so 
bravely at Burnt Corn. He was carried back to St. Stephens, 
and there died in great agony. Failing to bring the Indians to 
action, being convinced that they were in very inconsiderable 
force, and becoming destitute of subsistence, Claiborne march- 
ed to " Pine Levels," in the neighborhood of some good farms, 
a mile east of the Tombigby. From this point he sent spies October 20 
to the Alabama. He also sent a despatch to Flournoy, re- 
questing him to suffer all the disposable force to march imme- 
diately to the Creek country.* 

* Claiborne's MS. papers. 



3Qg THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter The Indians were everywhere committing depreciations, in 
xxxvi. small p artieS7 an< j occasionally some of the settlers were killed. 
Tandy Walker, Benjamin Foster, and Evans, a colored 
man, had been despatched, by the citizens of Fort Madison, 
across the Alabama, in an eastern direction, as spies. Ap- 
proaching the late battle-ground, at Burnt Corn, they came 
upon a small camp of the enemy, upon whom they fired from 
a concealed position. The Indians fled with great precipi- 
tancy, while the spies seized some horses, plundered the 
camp, and retreated to Sisemore's Ferry. Here, late at night, 
1813 while reposing in the caue, guns were fired upon them, and 
Evans was instantly killed. Walker escaped, with a wound 
in the side and a broken arm, but, the next day, crossed the 
Alabama upon a cane raft, and reached Fort Madison, where 
Foster, having already arrived, had reported his death.* 

Captain Samuel Dale, having now sufficiently recovered 
from his wounds, obtained the consent of Colonel Carson, who 
had returned to Fort Madison, to drive these small parties of 
the enemy from the frontiers. Dale was joined by a detach- 
ment of thirty of Captain Jones's Mississippi volunteers, under 
Lieutenant Montgomery and forty Clarke county militia. Ge- 
rard W. Creagh — the same who was attached to his company 
at Burnt Corn — was his lieutenant upon this occasion. This 
expedition marched in a northern direction, visiting the aban- 
doned plantations, and frequently discovering old traces of 
November 11 Indians. Dale returned to the fort, and, the next day, march- 

* Conversations with old settlers. 



1813 
November 12 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 39^ 

ed south-eastwardly, towards Brazier's Landing, now French's, chapter 

XXXVI. 

where an Indian negro, named Caesar, who was in company, 
had two canoes concealed in the cane. In these they crossed 
the Alabama, at the close of the day, and bivouaced on the 
eastern bank. They were thinly clad, and the frost was severe. 
When the sun first made its appearance over the tall canes, 
Captain Dale put his command in motion, and marched up 
the eastern bank, after having placed the canoes in charge of 
Jeremiah Austill, with six men, with orders to keep the boats 
parallel with those who marched on foot. Arriving opposite 
the farm of the late Dixon Bailey, who had heroically fallen 
at Fort Mims, as we have seen, Dale entered the boats, went 
over to the place, and discovered fresh signs of the mysterious 
foe, with whose habits he was so well acquainted. No sooner 
had he returned to his command, on the eastern side, than 
Austill discovered a canoe, occupied by Indians, descending the 
river, whom he immediately approached. They tacked about, 
paddled up the river, and disappeared in the thick cane, near 
the mouth of Randon's Creek. A few minutes only elapsed 
before a heavy firing ensued, up the creek, where the expedi- 
tion had encountered some savages on horseback — Captain 
Dale's rifle, which unhorsed one of these Indians, having 
given the alarm. The yell was raised, and they made an 
attempt to charge ; but the hot fire of the Americans com- 
pelled them to make a precipitate retreat, with one of their 
number killed and several severely wounded. 

In the meantime, Austill had reached Randon's plantation, 
with the canoes, a quarter of an hour in advance of the main 



30g THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter party.* When they came up, Dale ordered them to cross to 



xxxvi. 



1813 
November 12 



the western side, as it was found impracticable to continue the 
route on the eastern, on account of the cane and thick vines. 
While the company of Captain Jones or Lieutenant Mont- 
gomery was being ferried over, Captain Dale, Jere. Austill, 
Lieutenant Creagh, James Smith, John Elliott, a half-breed, 
Brady, and six others, occupied a position in a siflall field, 
between a sand bluff and* the river, where, kindling a fire, 
they began to boil some beef and roast a few potatoes, for 
their morning repast. When all the command had passed 
the river except these men, and immediately after the negro, 
Caesar, had returned, with the smaller canoe, the men from 
the western side gave the alarm that the Indians were rapidly 
descending upon those who occupied the little field. They 
sprang up from their hasty meal, retreated to the river-side, 
and were partially screened from the enemy's fire by a small 
bank. While in this perilous situation, hemmed in by the 
Indians and the river, their attention was directed to a large 
flat-bottomed canoe, containing eleven warriors. Naked, and 
painted in a variety of fantastic colors, while a panther-skin 
encircled the head of the Chief, and extended down his back, 
these Indians presented a picturesque and imposing appear- 
ance. For some reason, those in the rear now retired, leaving 
Dale and his little party free to attack those in the canoe. 
The red voyagers, apparently unapprised of their danger, 

* Randon was a wealthy Indian countryman, who was massacred at 
Fort Mims. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 399 



glided gently down the river, sitting erect, with their guns chapter 

XXXVI. 

before them. Dale and his party immediately opened a fire 
upon them, which they promptly returned. Several rounds 
were afterwards exchanged, resulting, however, in but little 
injury, as the Indians now lay flat in the canoe, exposing 
nothing but their heads. At length, two of the latter, cau- 
tiously getting into the water, swam for the shore, above the 
field, holding their guns dry above their heads. They swam 
near the land, above the mouth of a stream, over whose 
muddy bottom Austill and Smith crossed with difficulty, to 
pursue them. When near the Indians, the buckskin leggins 
of Austill, suspended by a band around his waist, fell about 
his feet, from the weight of water in them, causing him to 
slip, and be precipitated down the bluff. At that moment, a 
ball from Smith's unerring rifle perforated the head of one of 
the Indians, who immediately turned over upon his back, and 
then sunk. The other gained the bank and ascended it, keep- 
ing Smith off with his gun, which he pretended was charged. 
Austill, who had now gained the top of the bluff, pursued 
the Indian up the stream, when a gun was fired, the contents 
of which passed just over his head. Imagining himself among 
the enemy, and hesitating for a moment, the savage escaped. 
The fire proved to be from Lieutenant Creagh's gun, who, in 
the thick cane, supposed Austill to be the warrior, in whose 
pursuit he was likewise engaged. While these things were 
rapidly transpiring, Dale ordered the large canoe to be manned 
on the opposite shore, and to be brought over, to capture the 
Indians who were still in their canoe. Eight men sprang 



310 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter into it, but having approached near enough to see the number 

XXXVI 

of fierce warriors still alive, and ready to defend themselves 
to desperation, this cautious party rapidly paddled back to 
the western side. The exasperated Dale now proposed that 
some of his men should follow him, in the small canoe, which 
was immediately acquiesced in. Dale leaped down the bank, 
into the boat, and was followed by Smith and Austill. All 
the others were anxious to go, but it afforded room for no 
November 12 more - The noble Caesar paddled towards the Indian's canoe, 
and, when within twenty yards of it, the three resolute Ame- 
ricans rose, to give them a broadside ; but only the gun of 
Smith fired, for the other two had, unfortunately, wet their 
priming. Caesar was ordered to paddle up, and to place his 
boat side by side with that of the warriors. Approaching 
within ten feet, the Chief, recognizing Dale, exclaimed, "Now 
for it, Big Sam !"* At the same instant, he presented his 
gun at Austill's breast. That brave youth struck at him with 
an oar, which he dodged, and, in return, he brought down his 
rifle upon Austill's head, just as the canoes came together. 
At that moment, the powerful arms of Smith and Dale raised 
their long rifles, which came down, with deadly force, and 
felled the Chief to the bottom of the canoe — his blood and 
brains bespattering its sides. Such was the force of the blow 
inflicted by Dale, that his gun was broken near the lock. 

* Dale had long been a trader among the Indians, and, on account 
of his prowess and large frame, was familiarly called by them " Big 
Sam." 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. - %H 

Seizing the heavy barrel, still left, he did great execution with chapter 

XXXVI 

it, to the end of the combat. Austill, in a moment, engaged 
with the second warrior, and then with a third, both of whom 
he despatched with his clubbed rifle. Smith, too, was equally 
active, having knocked down two Indians. Csesar had, by 
this time, got the canoes close together, and held them with 
a mighty grasp, which enabled Dale, who was in the advance, 
and the others, to maintain a firm footing, by keeping their 
feet in both canoes. These brave men now mowed down the 
savages, amid the encouraging shouts of the men on both 
sides of the river, who had a full view of the deadly conflict. 
In the midst of this unparalleled strife, a lusty Indian struck 
Austill with a war-club, which felled him across the sides of 
the two boats, and, while prostrate, another had raised his club 
to dash out his brains, when Dale, by a timely blow, buried 

1813 

his heavy rifle barrel deep in the warrior's skull. In the N 0Vem ber 12 

meantime, Austill recovered his feet, and, in a desperate 

scuffle with another savage, knocked him into the river with 

the club which he had wrested from him. The only word 

spoken during the fight was the exclamation of the Chief, 

upon recognizing Dale, and the request of Csesar, for Dale to 

make use of his bayonet and musKet, which he handed to 

him. Having laid all the warriors low, these undaunted 

Americans began to cast them into the bright waters of the 

Alabama, their native stream, now to be their grave. Every 

time a savage was raised up from the bottom of the canoe, by 

the head and heels, and slung into the water, the Americans 

upon the banks sent up shouts, loud and long, as some slight 



312 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter revenge for the tragedy of Fort Minis. Just as the last body 

XXXVI 

found its watery grave, a ball, shot by the Indians from the 
eastern side, struck one of the canoes, and was followed by other 
discharges, but without effect. After the fight had ended, 
eight athletic Indians were thrown out of the canoe. It will 
be recollected that there were eleven in the boat when first 
seen, and that two of them had swum ashore, and the other 
one Austill had knocked out before the conflict ended. 

The Indian canoe presented a sight unusually revolting — 

several inches deep in savage blood, thickened with clods of 

brains and bunches of hair. In this sanguinary bark, and 

the one paddled by Caesar, the nine Americans who had been 

1813 left on the eastern side were now conveyed across, to the oppo- 

November 12 J rr 

site bank, where the heroes received the warm congratulations 
of their companions, who exultingly surrounded them. 

The expedition then marched up to Curnell's Ferry, two 
miles distant, and, seeing no more of the enemy, and being 
out of provisions, returned that night to Fort Madison. It is 
remarkable, that no one received the least injury, except Aus- 
till, whose head and arms were severely bruised.* 

A short biographical sketch of these heroes may not be 

* Conversations with Colonel Gerard W. Creagh, who witnessed the 
canoe fight, while standing in full view, upon the eastern bank of the 
Alabama, ai^i ColonelJeremiah Austill, of Mobile, one of the heroes. 
Among the MS. papers of General Claiborne I also found the report of 
Captain R. Jones, of the first regiment of Mississippi Volunteers, re- 
specting the " canoe fight," which fixes the elate of that affair. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



313 



uninteresting, after a recital of their unsurpassed " hand-to- chapter 

XXXVI 

hand " fight, in the unsteady canoes, on the deep Alabama. 

Jeremiah Anstill was born near the Oconee Station, in 
Pendleton District, South-Carolina, on the 10th August, 1*794. 
His father, Captain Evan Anstill, has already been mentioned, 
as one of those who boldly remained to defend Fort Madison, 
after it had been evacuated by Colonel Carson. His mother 
was the only sister of Colonel David Files, who died in this 
State, in 1820. At the time of the canoe expedition, Jere. 
Austill was nineteen years of age, and weighed one hundred 
and seventy-five pounds, without any surplus flesh. He was 
bold, active and strong, and had been raised upon the Indian 
frontiers, having lived some time at the Agency, in the Chero- 
kee nation. He is still a resident of Mobile, and is regarded as 
a respectable gentleman. Since the canoe fight, he has filled 
several important offices, and represented the people of Mo- 
bile in the legislature. His countenance is open and manly, 
his eyes keen and piercing, of a dark brown color, his form 
is erect, and his step elastic. Even now, at the age of fifty- 
six, Colonel Austill is capable of being a very troublesome 
adversary, in a desperate rencounter, although one of the 
most peaceable and amiable men in the country, in the ordi- 
nary pursuits of life. 

James Smith was a native of Georgia, of low stature, well 
set, weighed one hundred and sixty-five pounds, and was 
twenty-five years of age at the period of the canoe fight. 
He was a brave, daring, frontier man, and died in East Missis- 
sippi, several years ago. He was a man of great prowess, 



314 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter and had killed several Indians in former expeditions. He was 

XXXVI. 

admired by every one for bis courage, honesty, and willing- 
ness to defend bis country, at all times and under all circum- 
stances. 

Captain Samuel Dale, of Irish extraction, was born in 
Eockbridge county, Virginia, in 17*72. In 17 75, his father 
moved to Glade Hollow, on the Clinch river, in the county of 
Washington, Virginia, and was actively engaged in the bor- 
der warfare of that day. In 1784, he removed, with his 
family, to the vicinity of Greensborough, Georgia, where he 
purchased a farm, but, in a short time, was compelled to 
take refuge in Carmichael's Station, in consequence of the 
inroads of the Indians. Several desperate attempts were 
made to burn this fort, in one of which Captain Autcry was 
slain. About this time, Mr. Dale and his wife died, leaving 
eight children. Samuel, the subject of this memoir, who 
was the oldest, placed the children upon the farm, and joined 
a company of troopers, raised by Captain Fosh, to watch the 
movements of the Creeks, which was soon after mustered into 
the federal service, and quartered on the Oconee, at a place 
called Fort Mathews. Towards the close of 1794, this troop 
had several engagements with the savages, in which Dale 
displayed those traits which so distinguished his subsequent 
career — vigilance, perseverance, energy, and dauntless courage. 
At Ocfuske, on the Chattahoochie, he slew two Indians. 
Soon after, having been elected colonel, and stationed, at the 
head of a separate command, at Fort Republic, on the Apa- 
lache river, in Georgia, he rendered efficient services, until the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 3^5 

troops were disbanded. Then he became a trader among the chapter 

XXXVI. 

Creeks and Cherokees, purchasing his goods in Savannah, 
and exchanging them for cattle and ponies. He also acted 
in the capacity of guide, to many parties emigrating to the 
Mississippi Territory. He finally established a trading-house, 
in co-partnership with a half-breed, in what is now known as 
Jones county, Georgia, where he remained for some time. He 
was at Tookabatcha when Tecumseh apjDeared there, and 
assured Colonel Hawkins that the mission of that man would 
result in great evil, unless his efforts were immediately coun- 
teracted ; but the Agent did not concur with him in that 
opinion. His bravery has been seen at Burnt Corn, and in 
the canoe fight. At the time of the latter, Captain Dale 
weighed one hundred and ninety pounds, was over six feet 
high, possessed a large muscular frame, without any surplus 
flesh, and was in the prime of life. Although he will be 
mentioned hereafter, in connection with the Indian wars, we 
deem it proper, in further illustration of his character, to insert 
the following well-written obituary, published in the " Natchez 
Free Trader," from the pen of John H. F. Claiborne, formerly 
a member of Congress from Mississippi, and the son of the 
general of that name, whose military services are now under 
review : 

" I have not observed, in your paper, any notice of the 
death of our veteran friend, General Samuel Dale. He 
died at his residence, Daleville, Lauderdale county, on the 
23d ult., with the fortitude of a soldier and the resignation 
of a christian. On his dying bed, he repeated, as I am 



1841 
June 15 



316 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter informed, a request, which he made last summer, that I 

XXXVI 

should make a memoir of his life, most of the particulars of 
which I wrote down from his lips. I design visiting Lauder- 
dale, in a few weeks, to obtain all the materials that remain. 
Few men have run a career so full of benevolent actions and 
of romantic adventure, and no man was ever better adapted 
to the country and the period in which he lived — that country 
the frontiers of Georgia, Florida, and the (then) Mississippi 
Territory, embracing all the present State of Alabama — the 
period including nearly all that bloody interval between the 
close of the revolution and the termination of the last war. 
With the story of these times, the dreadful massacre at Fort 
Mims, the battle of the Holy Ground, General Jackson's 
Seminole campaigns, and the earlier events of the Georgia 
frontier, General Dale was closely connected. The most 
affecting of those scenes of murder and conflagration are as 
yet unwritten, and live only in the fading memorials of bor- 
der tradition. In preparing the life of General Dale, I shall 
seek to put many of them on record. As a scout, a pilot to 
the emigrants who blazed the first path through the Creek 
nation, from Georgia to the Tombigby, with arms in their 
hands, and subsequently, as a spy among the Spaniards, at 
Pensacola, and as a partisan officer, during the most sangui- 
nary epochs of the late war, present at every butchery, re- 
markable for " hair-breadth 'scapes," for caution and coolness 
in desperate emergencies, for exhibitions of gigantic personal 
strength and great moral courage, his story is studded over 
with spirit-stirring incidents, unsurpassed by any thing in 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 31f 



lee-end or history. His celebrated ' canoe fight; where, in chapter 

XXXVI. 

the Alabama river, he, with Smith and Austin, fought nine 
warriors, with clubbed rifles, killed them all, and rowed to 
shore, would be thought fabulous, if it had not been witnessed 
by many soldiers, standing upon the banks, who could render 
them no assistance. Some years before, he was attacked by 
two warriors, who shouted their war-whoop, as he was kneel- 
ing down to drink, and rushed upon him with their toma- 
hawks. He knifed them both, and, though bleeding from 
five wounds, he retraced their trail nine miles, crept stealthily 
to their camp, brained three sleeping warriors, and cut the 
thongs of a female prisoner, who lay by their side. AVhile 
in this act, however, a fourth sprang upon him, from behind 
a log. Taken at such a disadvantage, and exhausted by the 
loss of blood, he sank under the serpent-grasp of the savage, 
who, with a yell of triumph, drew his knife, and, in a few 
moments, would have closed the contest. At that instant, 
however, the woman drove a tomahawk deep into the head 
of the Indian, and thus preserved the life of her deliverer. 

" Shortly after the treaty of Dancing Rabbit, our deceased 
friend settled in what is now known as Lauderdale county ; 
and it is worthy of remark, that, at the first election, (1836, 
I believe,) when he was chosen to the legislature, but ten 
votes were cast. Now the county could probably poll 750, 
and, in every direction, its fleecy fields, its fine flour-mills, its 
school-houses and churches, indicate a thriving, enlightened 
and moral population. 

" One anecdote of the old general is so similar to an event 
vol. 11. 17 



318 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter in Roman history, that I cannot forbear relating it. The 

XXXVI 

Consul Acquilius, returning- from a campaign, was allowed a 
triumph, but shortly afterwards was arraigned for some mis- 
demeanor, committed during his foreign service. He called 
no exculpatory evidence, nor deigned to court the favor of his 
judges, but when about to receive sentence, he tore open his 
vest, and displayed the wounds he had received in the service 
of his country. A sudden emotion of pity seized the court, 
and unfixed the resolution which, a few moments before, they 
had taken, to condemn the accused. Some time ago, General 
Dale, being in Mobile, was held to bail as endorser upon a 
note. The debt was in the hands of a stranger. Accompa- 
nied by an officer, he sought the creditor, and found him in 
the saloon of Cullum's far-famed hotel. ' Sir,' said the gen- 
eral, ' I have no money to pay this debt. The principal has 
property — make him pay it, or let me go home and work it 
out.' The Shylock hesitated. ' Very well] said the veteran, 
in tones that rang indignantly through the apartment, ' Very 
well, sir ! Look at my scars ! I will march to jail down 
Main street, and all Mobile shall witness the treatment of 
an old soldier /' These simple words fell like electricity upon 
that high-toned people. In half an hour, a dozen of the 
brightest names of the city were on the bond, and before 
morning the debt was paid, and a full discharge handed to the 
general. I have seen the manly tears chasing down his 
cheek, as the aged warrior dwelt on these recollections of the 
generous citizens. In person, General Dale was tall, erect, 
raw-boned and muscular. In many respects, physical and 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 3^9 

moral, he resembled his antagonists of the woods. He had chapter 

XXXVI. 

the square forehead, the high cheek-bones, the compressed 
lips, and, in fact, the physiognomy of an Indian, relieved, 
however, by a fine, benevolent, Saxon eye. Like the red 
man, too, his foot fell lightly upon the ground, and turned 
neither to the right or left ; he was habitually taciturn ; his 
face grave ; he spoke slowly, and in low tones, and seldom 
laughed. I observed of him, what I have often noted as 
peculiar to border men of high attributes : he entertained the 
strongest attachment for the Indians, extolled their courage, 
their love of country, and many of their domestic qualities, 
and I have often seen the wretched remnant of the Choctaws 
camped around his plantation and subsisting on his crops. 
In peace, they felt for him the strongest veneration — he had 
been the friend, both of Tecumseh and Weatherford — and in 
war, the name of ' Big Sam, ' fell on the ear of the Seminole 
like that of Marius on the hordes of the Cimbri." 

Captain Dale, with a scouting party, had effectually scoured 181 ^ 
the swamps of Bassett's Creek, and Major Hinds's horse had 
routed a small body of the enemy, near Weatherford's Bluff, 
killing ten of their number, when an order from Flournoy 
permitted Claiborne to advance, with the Southern army, to 
the Alabama. His instructions confined him still to defensive 
operations, requiring him to establish a depot at Weather- 
ford's Bluff, and not to advance further into the Creek nation 
until he was joined by the Georgia and Tennessee troops. 
Claiborne accordingly broke up his camp at Pine Levels, 
marched across Clarke county, with three hundred volunteers, 



320 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter the dragoons and some militia, flanked by detachments under 

XXXVI 

Captains Kennedy and Bates, and Lieutenant Osborne, and a 
party of Choctaws, under Pushmatahaw and Mushullatubba. 
Arriving at the Alabama, the army encamped for the night 
upon the western bank, and the next day, at twelve o'clock, had 

November 17 g ame <l the other side, by means of rafts. Colonel Gilbert C. 
Russell, an accomplished and gallant commander in the regu- 
lar army, marched the third regiment of federal troops from 
Mount Vernon, through Nannahnbba Island, by Mims's Ferry, 
to the head of Little river, and thence to the encampment 

November 28 of Claiborne, with whom he had been instructed by General 
Flournoy to co-operate. In the meantime, Claiborne had 
made rapid progress in the construction of a strong stockade, 
two hundred feet square, defended by three block-houses and 
a half-moon battery, which commanded the river. Before 
the close of November it was completed, and received the 
name of Fort Claiborne, in honor of the commander. The 
town where it stood still bears his name. The general wrote 
to Jackson, congratulating him upon his victories, giving him 
an account of the operations in the southern seat of war, and 
acquainting him with the fact, that an abundance of corn and 

December 5 other provisions were to be obtained in the neighborhood of 
Fort Claiborne. He also wrote to Governor Blount, appri- 
sing him of the arrival of more English vessels in Pensacola, 
and added that he wished "to God that he was authorized to 
take that sink of iniquity, the depot of tories and instigators 
of disturbances on the southern frontier." He had, a few 
days before, despatched Major Kennedy and others to Mobile, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



321 



to learn from Colonel Bowyer the particulars of the arrival of chapter 
the British at Pensacola. They reported, giving satisfactory 
assurances that a large quantity of Indian supplies, and many 
soldiers, had arrived there ; and, in addition, that the Indians 
were committing depredations in Baldwin county, having 
recently burned down Kennedy's and Byrne's mills. 

Lieutenant-Colonel George Henry Nixon had succeeded 
Russell in the command at Mount Vernon. At his request, Decemberl 3 
Claiborne permitted him, also, to man Fort Pierce, in the 
neighborhood of the disturbances.* 

Claiborne, having determined to advance to the enemy's 
strong-hold, the line of march was taken up by an army December 13 
consisting of Colonel Russell's third regiment, Major Cassels' 
battalion of horse, a battalion of militia, under Major Benja- 

* Colonel Nixon was born in Virginia, and, living some years in 
South-Carolina, removed from thence, in 1809, to the Mississippi Ter- 
ritory. He was among the first to offer his services in defence of his 
country. During the Creek war, Colonel Nixon, at the head of a con- 
siderable force, scoured the swamps of the Perdido and other streams, 
and frequently killed and captured Indians. After he had accom- 
plished all he could, he marched to the head of the Perdido, where he 
divided his command, sending Major William Peacock, with the troops 
of the 39th, to the Boat Yard, on Lake Tensaw, while he marched the 
remainder of his command to Fort Claiborne. He was an excellent 
■officer;, and served in the war until its final conclusion. He was a 
member of the convention that formed the constitution of the State of 
Mississippi, and was, afterwards, frequently a State Senator. He died 
in Perlington, Mississippi, in 1824. He was a large and fine-looking 
man, with fair complexion, and was very popular. 



322 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter mill Smoot — Patrick May being adjutant, Dale and Heard 
XXX ' captains, and Gerard W. Creagh one of the lieutenants — the 
twelve months' Mississippi Volunteers, under Colonel Carson, 
and one hundred and fifty Choctaws, under Pushmatahaw, 
numbering, in the aggregate, near one thousand men. A few 
days before, nine captains, eight lieutenants, and five ensigns, 
signed a remonstrance, in respectful language, against the 
march to the nation, and presented it to the general. They 
set forth that the time of service of many would soon expire, 
that the weather was cold, that they were too scantily sup- 
plied with clothing and food for such a campaign, and that 
the route to the enemy's towns was entirely a pathless one ; 
but they stated their willingness to obey, if Claiborne should 
resolve to proceed. 

Claiborne moved in a north-eastern direction, until he 
reached the high lands south of Double Swamp, at the dis- 
tance of eighty miles, where he built a depot, called Fort 
Deposite, situated in the present county of Butler, and where 
he left the. wagons, cannon, baggage and the sick, with one 
hundred men, as a guard. Thirty miles further brought him 
into the immediate neighborhood of the Holy Ground, which 
had been reached without the aid of a single path. The 
pork being exhausted, the troops were in a suffering condition, 
for they had only drawn, when leaving Fort Deposite, three 
days' allowance of flour. Econachaca (Holy Ground) had 
recently been erected by Weatherford, the prophets having 
assured the Indians that here no white man could approach 
without instant destruction. It was strongly fortified in the 



1813 
December 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 323 

Indian manner, and had, for some months, formed a point to chapter 

XXXVI. 

which those who had been routed in battle retreated, and 
where a great amount of plunder had been stored. It was 
situated upon a bluff, on the eastern side of the Alabama 
river, just below the present Powell's Ferry, in the county of 
Lowndes. Here many of the white prisoners and friendly 
Indians were burned to death, by order of the prophets, and, 
when Claiborne was almost within sight of the town, with his 
advancing army, Mrs. Sophia Durant, and many other friendly 
half-breeds, were mustered in the square, and surrounded by 
light wood lires, designed to consume them. 

1813 

The troops advanced toward the town in three columns, December23 
the centre commanded by Colonel Russell, at the head of 
which was Claiborne himself, Lester's guards and Wells' 
dragoons acting as a corps of reserve. 

At noon Carson's right column came in view of the town, 
and was vigorously attacked by the enemy, who had chosen 
their field of action. The town was nearly surrounded with 
swamps and deep ravines, so that the enemy, who afterwards 
retreated, could not be successfully pursued. Major Cassels,J||^ 
who had been directed to form his battalion of horse on the 
river bank, west of the town, foiling to effect such a move- 
ment, fell back on the head of Carson's regiment, who, how- 
ever, advanced, and took his position. The third regiment, 
coming up in gallant style, did its duty. Major Smoot as- 
sumed his position in a proper maimer, and all would have 
been right, if Cassels' cavalry had not failed to obey orders, 
17* 



324 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter thereby permitting hundreds of the enemy to escape, along 

XXXVI. 

the Alabama river, by the western border of the town. The 
Indians, headed by Weatherford, for a short time fought with 
considerable fury, but afterwards fled with great rapidity. 
The short engagement resulted in the death of thirty Indians 
and negroes, whose bodies were afterwards counted upon the 
field. Many must have been severely wounded. Lucket, 
an American ensign, was killed, and twenty men were 
wounded. 

Several hours before the battle began, the Indian women 
and children had been conveyed across the river, and were 
securely lodged in the thick forests of the region now fami- 
liarly known as the Dutch Bend of Autauga county. Here 
the retreating warriors, some of whom came over in boats, 
while others swam, joined them. Weatherford, seeing that 
his forces had deserted him, now pushed hard for his own 
safety. Coursing, with great rapidity, along the banks of the 
Alabama, below the town, on a grey steed, of unsurpassed 
strength and fleetness — which he had purchased, a short time 
before the commencement of hostilities, of Benjamin Baldwin, 
late of Macon county — came, at length, to the termination of 
a kind of ravine, where there was a perpendicular bluff, ten 
or fifteen feet above the surface of the river. Over this, with 
a mighty bound, the horse pitched, with the gallant Chief, 
and both went out of sight, beneath the waves. Presently 
they rose again, the rider having hold of the mane with one 
hand and his rifle firmly grasped in the other. Regaining 



1813 
December 23 



# 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 325 



his saddle, the noble animal swam with him to the Autauga chapter 

XXXVI. 

side.* 

Claiborne reduced the town of the Holy Ground to ashes. 

1813 

He then despatched the cavalry to Ward's place, up the river, Decem ber24 
who, before reaching there, fell in with three Shawnees of 
distinction, retreating from the battle, whom they killed. The 
firing being heard at the camp, Claiborne struck his tents, 
and marched in that direction, during the night. Encamp- 
ing at Weatherford's place, in an open field, the cold rains 
descended in torrents upon the troops, and Christmas morning 
found them engaged in parching corn for breakfast, which was 
the only thing left to eat. After destroying some houses and 
farms, the army marched back to Fort Deposite, and from December 26 
thence to Fort Claiborne, where, the term of service of Car- 
son's Mississippi volunteers and cavalry having expired, they 
were mustered out of service. 

Colonel Russell, now left in sole command of Fort Clai- 
borne, preferred charges against Major Cassels, for disobe- January i 
dience of orders, at the Holy Ground, and a court of inquiry, 
composed of Captain Woodruff, president, Captain J. E. 
Denkins and Lieutenant H. Chotard, decided that Sam Mc- 
Nac, the guide, was chiefly to blame, for the failure of Cas- 

* Extravagant tales have often been told of Weatherford's leap, and 
a bluff, at or near the site of the Holy Ground town, which is probably 
eighty or a hundred feet high, is often pointed out as the one over which 
he charged. The account I have given is Weatherford's own state- 
ment of the affair. 



326 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter se ] s to occupy the position which had been assigned him. 

XXXVI. 

Another court of inquiry, composed of Colonel Carson and 
January 1 Lieutenant Wilcox, decided that the contractor of the army 
was solely to blame for the perishing condition of the expe- 
dition, as General Claiborne had given him ample instructions 
to furnish abundant supplies. The command had been en- 
tirely without meat for nine days. 
January 24 General Claiborne wrote to the Secretary of War, from 
Mount Vernon, that he had been left with but sixty men, 
whose time lacked only a month of expiring ; that his other 
volunteers, who had been disbanded, had gone home naked, 
and without shoes, with eight months pay due them ; and 
that his army, being thus broken up, he intended to return 
home, as soon as he received permission from General Flour- 
noy* 

Having planned an expedition against the enemy, Colonel 
Russell despatched Captain Denkins up the Alabama, from 
Fort Claiborne, in command of a barge, laden with provisions, 
and defended by a piece of artillery, with instructions to enter 
the Cahawba river, and to ascend it to the " Old Towns," 
where his army would shortly join him. Afterwards, march- 
February l ing the larger portion of his regiment to the cross-roads, 
in Clarke county, four miles north of the present Sugsville, 
he was there joined by a company conrmanded by Captain 
Evan Austill and Lieutenant G. W. Creagh, and Captain 

* Claiborne's MS. papers. Conversations with the late Colonel 
Creagh, General Patrick May, of Greene, and others. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. $27 

Foster's horse company, both under the command of Major chapter 

XXXVI 

Samuel Dale. Leaving this place, with six days rations, 
Colonel Russell reached the Cahawba Old Towns, where he 
was mortified to find that Captain Denkins had not arrived — 
nor had he encountered, on the way, a solitary Indian. Des- 
patching Lieutenant Wilcox in a canoe, with five men, with 
directions to find Denkins and hasten him on, that officer 
proceeded down the Cahawba, upset his boat the first night, 
wet his ammunition, and lost two of his guns. Recovering the 
canoe, however, and proceeding down the river, lying by in the 
cane in the day-time, he was, in the evening of the second 
day, fired upon by a party of Indians. The two Wilsons, who 
belonged to this expedition, made their escape, and reached 
the lower settlements many days after, in a starving condition. 
One of them, Matthew, was found by Hais Rodgers, on the 
ridge road of Clarke. Lieutenant Wilcox and the other 
three were made prisoners by the Indians, who proceeded 
with them down the Cahawba, into the Alabama. In the 
meantime, Denkins, unfortunately passing the mouth of the 
Cahawba by mistake, had ascended some distance up the 
Alabama, and was now returning to Fort Claiborne, knowing 
that the army could not wait for him, but would return to 
that place likewise. The Indians, going down the river also, 
descried the barge, and, fearing to lose their prisoners, toma- 
hawked and scalped Wilcox and his three companions, leaving 
them in their canoe. When the canoe and the barge came 
together Wilcox was still alive, but too far gone to give any 
account of the particulars of his capture, or of Russell's expe- 



328 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter dition. The body of this gallant young officer, being found 

XXXVI. 

upon the Alabama, where it meanders through the region 
between Canton and Prairie Bluff, the legislature appro- 
priately preserved his memory, by giving the county his name. 
Colonel Russell remained two days at the Cahawba Old 
Towns, in which time one of his men was killed by some 
skulking savages. Despairing of the arrival of the barge, he 
began the return march, without any provisions ; and setting 
the example himself, in having his best horse killed for sub- 
sistence, twelve animals of that kind were devoured by the 
perishing troops. At Bradford's Pond they were timely re- 
lieved by wagons, laden with abundant provisions, and, arri- 
ving again at the cross-roads, were disbanded, the regulars 
marching to Fort Claiborne.* 

* Conversations with Colonel Gerard W. Creagh, late of Clarke 
county. 



1814 
February 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 329 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

BATTLES OF EMUCKFAU, ENITACHOPCO AND 
CALEBEE. 

Sii^e the battle of Talladega, Jackson had encountered chapter 
innumerable difficulties and mortifications, owing to the failure 
of contractors and the mutiny of his troops, who were finally 
reduced to one hundred men, by the expiration of their time 
of service. He was now compelled to employ Cherokees to 
garrison Fort Armstrong, upon the Coosahatchie, and protect 
the stores at Ross's. Almost alone, in a savage land, he yet 
constantly rode between Fort Strother and Ditto's Landing, 
to hasten supplies for the new army, which he had employed 
Governor Blount to raise for him. At last, two regiments, 
one of them commanded by Colonel Perkins, and the other by 
Colonel Higgins — numbering together eight hundred and 
fifty men, jvho had only enlisted for sixty days — reached Fort Jan ^ 4 u 
Strother. Well understanding the character of minute men, 
like these, who must be constantly employed, Jackson imme- 
diately marched them across the Coosa, to the late battle- 
ground of Talladega, where he was joined by two hundred January 16 
Cherokees and Creeks, who evinced great alarm at the weak- 



330 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter ness w hicli the command presented. Continuing the march 

XXXVII. 

towards the Tallapoosa, the army encamped at Enitachopco, 
January 21 a Hillabee village, and, the next day, fell into many fresh- 
beaten trails, indicating the proximity of a large force. Here 
Jackson determined to halt, for the purpose of reconnoitre. 
Before dark, his encampment was formed, his army thrown 
into a hollow square, his pickets and spies sent out, his senti- 
nels doubled, and his fires lighted, some distance outside of 
the lines. About ten o'clock at night, one of the pickets, 
firing upon three of the enemy, succeeded in killing one, and 
at the hour of eleven the spies reported a large encamjwnent, 
three miles distant, where the savages were whooping and 
dancing, and, being apprised of the approach of the Ameri- 
cans, were sending off their women and children. 
January 22 About six o'clock in the morning, the Indians suddenly fell 
.upon Jackson's left flank, and upon the left of his rear, maintain- 
ing a vigorous attack for a half hour. General Coffee, Adjutant- 
General Si tier, and Inspector-General Carroll, rode rapidly to 
the scene of action, as soon as the firing commenced, animating 
the men, who firmly kept the assailants at bay. Morning shed 
its light upon the exciting scene, enabling Captain Terrill's 
infantry to reinforce the left flank, when the whole line was 
led to the charge by General Coftee, supported ty Colonels 
Higgins and Carroll, and the friendly Indians, which forced 
January 22 the savages to abandon the ground in a rapid manner. They 
were pursued, with slaughter, for two miles. Coffee, being 
then ordered, with four hundred men and the friendly Indians, 
to burn up their encampment, advanced, and, finding it strong- 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 331 



ly fortified, returned for the artillery. Shortly afterwards, a 
body of the enemy boldly advanced, and attacked the right 
wing of Jackson's encampment. Coffee again charged, but, 
through mistake, only forty-five men followed him, composing 
his own company of volunteer officers ; but the friendly In- 
dians were sent by Jackson to his support. Dismounting his 
men, he now pursued the u Red Sticks " to the swamp of a 
creek.* 

Jackson had ordered his left flank to remain firm, and now 
the Indians came rushing, with yells, against it. Repairing 
to that point, and ordering up Captain Terrill to his support, 
the whole line received the enemy with intrepidity, and, after 
a few fires, advanced to the charge, under the impetuous Car- 
roll. Again the Red Sticks fled before the bayonet, the Ame- 
ricans pursuing some distance, and marking their trails with 
blood. In the meantime, Coffee kept the enemy, who had 
now returned upon him from the swamp, at bay, until Jack- 
son strengthened him, with a reinforcement of a hundred 
friendly warriors, at the head of whom was Jim Fife. Cof- 
fee again charged, when the Red Sticks once more gave way, 
and the pursuit was continued for three miles, with the loss of 
forty -five savages. 

The brave Creeks had now been repulsed in every attempt, 
but they exhibited a ferocity and courage which commanded 
the serious consideration of Jackson, whose force was weaker 

* The Indian war-party were often called the " Red Sticks," because 
their war-clubs were invariably painted red. 



CHAPTER 
XXXVII. 



332 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter than he desired. The horses had been without cane and 

XXXVII 

without corn for two days, and but few rations remained for 
the men. The wounded were numerous, and the enemy- 
would, doubtless, soon be reinforced. Jackson determined 
to return to Fort Strother, with all possible despatch. The 
remainder of the day was employed in collecting and burying 
the dead, dressing the wounded, and fortifying the camp ; 
but the morning dawned without another attack.* 
1814 23 ^ e arm y began the retrograde march about ten o'clock, 
A.M., bearing the wounded, among whom was Coffee, in 
litters, constructed of the hides of the slain horses. Jackson 
reached Enitachopco before night, without molestation, and 
fortified himself at a place a quarter of a mile from the 
creek, around which the " Red Sticks " prowled, but refrained 
from attack. Dreading an onset at the ford of the creek, by 
which his army had passed a few days before, and which 
afforded great facilities for Indian ambuscades, the commander 
despatched spies in search of a less exposed crossing-place. 
Six hundred yards lower down was selected, and thither he 
January 24 advanced his troops in the morning. Carroll commanded the 
rear-guard, Colonel Perkins the right column, and Colonel 
Stump the left. In case of attack, Carroll was to face about, 
display and maintain his position, while the other two colo- 
nels were to face outward, wheel back on their pivots, and 
attack the Red Sticks on both flanks. 

* The battle of Emuckfau was fought near a creek of that name, 
which runs south, into the Tallapoosa river, in Tallapoosa county, 
Alabama. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



333 



The wounded and the front guard had passed the creek, chapter 

YYVV TT 

and, as Jackson was upon the eastern bank, superintending 
the crossing of the army, an alarm gun was heard, which 
was succeeded by a fierce attack of the savages upon the 
rear-guard of Captain Russell's spies. Colonel Carroll ordered 
the rear-guard to halt and form, when the light and left co- 
lumns, seized by a sudden panic, fled, without firing a gun, 
drawing after them most of the centre, with their officers 
foremost in the flight, at the head of whom was Colonel 
Stump, who came plunging down the bank, near the exas- 
perated commander-in-chief, who made an unsuccessful effort 
to cut him down with his sword. With only twenty-five men 
under Captain Quarles, Carroll gallantly checked the advance 
of the Red Sticks. The artillery was under the command of 
Lieutenant Armstrong, in the absence of Captain Deadrick, 
who now ordered his company, armed with muskets, to ad- 
vance to the top of the hill, while he, with Constantine Per- 
kins, and a few others, dragged up the six-pounder from the 
middle of the creek. Instantly in their position, they main- 
tained it against ten times their number, until Armstrong- 
reached them with his piece. Discovering that, in the hurry 
of separating the gun from the limbers, the rammer and 
pricker had been left tied to the latter, with wonderful pre- 
sence of mind, and while Indian bullets rattled like hail 
around them, Constantine Perkins and Craven Jackson, two 
of the gunners, supplied the deficiency. Perkins took off his 
bayonet, and rammed the cartridge home with his musket, 
and Jackson, drawing his ramrod, employed it as a pricker, 



1814 
January 24 



334 TH ^ AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTER 
XXXVII. 



priming with a musket cartridge.* The si\-poimder was 
thus twice charged, pouring grape among the savages, then 
only a few yards distant. Several comrades of these men 
fell around them, and, after the second lire, the little artillery 
company furiously charged on the assailants, who became 
more cautious in their approaches. Captain Gordon's spies, 
in front of the army when the alarm was given, made a cir- 
r 1814 , cuit, and attacked the left flank of the Indians. At the same 
time, a number of the rear-guard and flankers, rallied by 
Jackson, re-crossed the creek, and joined in the fight. The 
savages, rinding that the whole army was now brought against 
them, fled, throwing away their packs, and leaving upon the 
field the bodies of twenty-six warriors. 

One hundred and eighty-nine bodies of the enemy were 
counted upon the fields of Emuckfau and Enitachopco. The 

* Constantine Perkins was born in Knox county, Tennessee, the 17th 
August, 1792. He graduated at Cumberland College, in 1813, and 
was with Jackson, at the battle of Talladega, in Carroll's advance 
guard, where he greatly distinguished himself. Refusing to abandon 
Jackson, in a hostile land, he remained, with the small number who 
adhered to him. In the two battles at Emuckfau, he fought side by 
side with the bravest. When the Creek war was at an end, he studied 
law at Nashville. He was elected solicitor of one of the Tennessee 
circuits, but, removing to Alabama in 1819, was elected solicitor of the 
third circuit, which office he held until 1826, when he was elected attor- 
ney-general. In 1834, the people of Tuscaloosa county placed him 
in the State Senate, of which he was a member until the 17th Sep- 
tember, 1836, when he died. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 335 

loss of the Americans was twenty killed and seventy-five chapter 
wounded, several of whom afterwards died. Major A. Don- 
£\ ialdfl on was killed at Emuckfau. Captain Hamilton, Lieu- 
tenant Armstrong, Bird Evans, Hiram Bradford and Jacob 
McGivock were severely wounded. The first named after- 
wards died. Jackson, in his report, spoke in the highest 
terms of the bravery of these men, and also of that of Gap- 
tains Sitler, Quarles, Elliott and Pipkin, and Colonel Higgins. 
He also mentioned the gallantly of the venerable Judge 
Cocke, who, at the age of sixty-five, was in the midst of these 
battles. 

The army continued its march to Fort Strother, where 
Jackson ordered the sixty day volunteers to march to Hunts- 
ville, for honorable discharge, at the same time granting to 
Coffee and his officers the privilege of returning home, until 
the government again demanded their services, to all of 
whom he addressed a kind letter, commending their patriotism 
and bravery. A court martial acquitted Colonel Perkins of Jan ^* 28 
the charge of cowardice, at the battle of Enitachopco ; but 
Colonel Stump was found guilty, and cashiered.* 

Such is the American account of these engagements. The 
brave natives of Alabama had no writers among them, to 
record their achievements. Several Chiefs and leading war- 
riors, who were in the battles of Emuckfau and Enitachopco, 
have stated to us that they " whipped Captain Jackson, and 
run him to the Coosa river." The authors who have written 

* Kendall's Life of Jackson, pp. 252-264. Waldo, Eaton, etc., etc. 



336 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter U p 0n these campaigns speak of the weakness of the American 

XXXVIIt 

force. It consisted of seven hundred and sixty-seven men, 
with two hundred friendly Indians. We are enabled to state, 
with confidence, that the force of the Red Sticks, in these 
battles, did not exceed five hundred warriors, for the larger 
body had assembled below, to attack Floyd, while others 
were fortifying the Horse-Shoe, and various other places. 

It has been seen that the Georgia army, after the battle of 
Auttose, retired to the Chattahoochie. There, for more than 
six weeks, it had reposed, for the want ' of expected supplies. 
When General Floyd recovered from his wound, he again 
marched to the seat of war, with a force of twelve hundred 
and twenty-seven, rank and file, besides a company of cavalry 
and four hundred friendly Indians. His destination being the 
town of Tookabatcha, he established posts upon the route, 
for the purpose of keeping up a communication and facilita- 
ting the transportation of supplies. Marching from post 
to post, as they were established, he at length encamped 
on the Calebee Creek, upon the high lands bordering its 
swamp.* 

At twenty minutes past five o'clock in the morning, the Red 
Sticks, who had secreted themselves in the swamp during the 
latter part of the night, sprung upon the Georgians like tigers, 
driving in their sentinels, and taking the whole army by sur- 
prise. In twenty minutes, the action became general, and 

* This creek runs in a north-western direction, through Macon 
county, Alabama. 



1814 
January 27 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



337 



the front right and left flanks of the Americans were closely chapter 
pressed ; but the enemy was met at every point. The front 
line was preserved by the steady fire of the artillery, under 
Captain Thomas, aided by the riflemen of Captain Adams. 
These troops suffered severely, for the enemy rushed within 
thirty yards of the cannon. Captain John Broadnax, who 
commanded one of the picket guards, maintained his post, 
until a party of Indians had cut off his retreat to the main 
army. In this desperate situation, his resolute band cut their 
way thr ough to their friends, assisted by Timpoochy Barnard, 
a half-breed, at the head of some Uchees. The other friendly 
Indians, with a few exceptions, taking refuge within the lines, 
remained alarmed and inactive, while the battle lasted. When 
day appeared, the battalions of Majors Watson and Freeman 
were ordered to wheel up at right angles. Those of Majors 
Booth and Cleavlaud, who formed the right wing, received the 
same order, while Captain Hamilton's cavalry was instructed 
to form in the rear of the right wing, to act as circumstances 
required. A charge was now made, and the Red Sticks gave 
way before the bayonet. The cavalry, falling upon them 
made considerable havoc, and, followed by the friendly In- 
dians and the rifle companies of Merriweather and Ford, pur- 
sued them through Calebee swamp. From the traces of 
blood, and the number of head-dresses and war-clubs found 
in various directions, the loss of the enemy must have been 
considerable. In the commencement of the action, Colonel 
Newnan was wounded by three balls, which deprived the 

VOL. II. 18 



338 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter commander of the services of that gallant and useful officer. 

XXXVII 

Adjutant-General Narden, whose horse was wounded under 
him, performed important services, while the aid-de-camp of 
Floyd also had his horse killed under him. His additional 
aids, General Lee and Major Pace, acted in a manner highly 
honorable to themselves and useful to the army. The loss of 
the Americans was seventeen killed and one hundred and 
thirty-two wounded, to which must be added the loss of the 
friendly Indians, who had five killed and fifteen wounded. 
The Georgians fought with great resolution ; but, assailed 
before day, with no fortifications around them, the Indians, 
until the charge was made, had the advantage, and made 
use of it.* The large number of wounded Georgians, the 
proximity of the enemy, who continued to hover around them, 
indicating a disposition to renew the attack, were reasons deem- 
ed sufficient by Floyd for relinquishing the main object of the 
expedition, retracing his steps, and awaiting further reinforce- 
!8i4 ments. He accordingly marched from Calebee to Fort Hull, 

February 2 ° J 

one of his newly-erected posts, and, the next night, the In- 
dians were in possession of the battle-field. Leaving at Fort 
Hull a small garrison, he returned to Fort Mitchell, upon the 
Chattahoochie, which he believed, from information, was soon 

* Zachariah McGirth, bearing a despatch from General Claiborne to 
Floyd, passed through the Cclebee swamp late in the night, while it 
must have been filled with the enemy, and strangely reached the 
American camp in safety. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



339 



to be attacked. Although the Georgia army had gallantly chapter 
maintained their ground, at the battle of Calebee, the Indians 
stopped their further march into the nation, and caused them, 
in a few days, to retreat.* 

General Jackson had employed the few militia who re- 
mained with him at Fort Strother, after the battles of Emuck- 
fau and Enitachopco, in constructing flat-boats, to descend the 
Coosa, with stores for the use of the new army, then being 
raised in Tennessee, which was to operate below. The Kiali- 
gee Chiefs, whose neutrality Jackson had viewed with suspi- 
cion, becoming alarmed, paid him a visit, and disclosed that „ , 1814 , 

& ' l February 15 

the Ufaulas, New-Yaucas and Ocfuskes, the remnant of the 
Hillabees, the Fish Ponds, and many Red Sticks from other 
towns, were then in a bend of the Tallapoosa, and on an 
island near Emuckfau, where they had resolved to defend 
themselves to the last extremity. This information deter- 
mined him to march upon them. 

When the army arrived at Fort Strother, he embarked the March 15 
stores in the flat-boats, which were to proceed down the 
Coosa, in charge of the thirty-ninth regiment, and, leaving a 
garrison of four hundred and fifty men in Fort Strother, 
under the command of Colonel Steele, he began the march, March 16 
for the third time, towards the seat of war. Within five 
days, Jackson reached the mouth of Cedar Creek, having 

* Russell's History of the Late War, pp. 242-243. Waldo's Life 
of Jackson, pp. 124-126. Kendall's Life of Jackson, p. 240. 



340 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1814 
March 22 



chapter been retarded by the cutting out of thirty miles of the road. 

TYYVTT 

The boats, in descending the river, meeting with some ob- 
structions, finally reached this point also, where a fort was 
immediately commenced, which Jackson called Fort Williams, 
in honor of the commander of the thirty-ninth regiment. A 
detachment returned to the camp, and reported that they 
had burned two Indian towns, lower down, but had seen no 
Red Sticks. 



BATTLE OF 

CHOLOCCO LITABJXEK; 



THE HORSE-SHOE. 




REFERENCES. *& 

A — Hill from which the ^\ 

cannon played. "^ 

BBB B— High broken f \ 

ridge. "^ 

C C — Indian huts. 
D D DDppppPP p — 
Men formed in battle. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 34^ 



CHAPTEE XXXVIII. 

BATTLE OF THE HORSE-SHOE— WEATHERFORD 
SURRENDERS HIMSELF AT FORT JACKSON. 

Leaving a guard at Fort Williams, General Jackson put chapter 
his army, which consisted of two thousand men, upon the 
march. He opened a passage across the ridge which divides March 24 
the Coosa and Tallapoosa, and, in three days, advanced to Mar <>h 27 
the immediate neighborhood of the enemy. 

Cholocco Litabixee — the Horse- Shoe — where the Red Sticks 
had assembled, to make a desperate defence, was admirably 
adapted by nature for security, if well guarded, but equally 
for destruction, if not well defended. About one hundred 
acres of land was bordered by the Tallapoosa river, forming 
a peninsula. Across the neck of the bend, the Red Sticks 
had a breast-work of logs, so arranged as to expose assailants 
to a cross fire. The houses of the village stood upon some 
low grounds, at the bottom of the bend, where hundreds of 
canoes were tied to the banks of the river. The warriors 
of Hillabee, Ocfuske, Oakchoie, Eufaulahatche, New-Yauca, 
Hickory Ground and Fish Pond towns, had concentrated 
upon the remarkable peninsula. General Coffee, with a large 
18* 



342 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter body of mounted men, and the friendly Indians, forded the 

XXXVIII. 

Tallapoosa, two miles below the breast-work, and, having 
Morning of gained the eastern side, extended his lines for a great distance, 

March 27 

so as to encompass the bend. As soon as Jackson saw, from 
signals which were made, that Coffee had taken his position, 
he marched the remainder of his force towards the breast- 
work, planted two pieces of artillery, eighty yards distant from 
the nearest part of the Indian defence, and, at ten o'clock in 
the morning, began to open them upon the enemy. These 
pieces, accompanied by occasional discharges from the mus- 
kets and rifles, effected but little. In the meanwhile, the 
Cherokees, under Coffee, swimming the river, took possession 
of the canoes, and, returning with them to the opposite bank, 
they were presently filled with friendly Indians and Ameri- 
cans, the latter headed by Colonel Morgan and Captain Rus- 
sell. They reached the town, and wrapped it in flames. 
Jackson then ordered his troops to storm the breast-work, 
behind which all the warriors had posted themselves. A 
short contest was maintained at the port-holes, but presently 
the impetuous Americans mounted the breast-work, and, 
dyeing the huge logs with their blood and that of the 
enemy, they finally, after a most desperate struggle, became 
masters of the interior. The Red Sticks, now assailed in 
front by Jackson, who had taken possession of their breast- 
work, and attacked from behind by a portion of Coffee's 
troops, who had just completed the conflagration of their 
village, fought under great disadvantages. However, none 
of them begged for quarter, but every one sold his life at the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



343 



dearest rate. After a long fight, many of them fled and chapter 

YYYVTTT 

attempted to swim the river, but were killed on all sides by 
the unerring rifles of the Tennesseans. Others screened 
themselves behind tree-tops and thick piles of timber. Being 
desirous not to destroy this brave race, Jackson sent a mes- 
senger towards them, who assured them of the clemency of 
the general, provided they would surrender. They answered 
by discharges from their guns and shouts of defiance. The ar- 
tillery was then ineffectually brought to bear upon them. The 
Americans then applied fire to their retreat, which soon forced 
them to fly, and, as they ran, they were killed by American 
guns. It was late in the evening before the dreadful battle March 37 
ended. The Ked Sticks numbered about one thousand war- 
riors, and, out of that number, five hundred and fifty-seven 
were found dead on the peninsula.* As many were killed in 
the river, by Coffee's troops, while they were endeavoring to 
swim over, it may safely be stated that not more than two 
hundred survived. Some of them long afterwards suffered 
with the most. grievous wounds. Manowa, one of the bravest 
Chiefs that ever lived, was literally shot to pieces. He fought 
as long as he could. He saved himself by jumping into the 
river, where the water was four feet deep. He held to a root, 
and thus kept himself beneath the waves, breathing through 
the long joint of a cane, one end of which he held in his 
mouth, and while the other end came above the surface of the 

* Kendall, Eaton, and Waldo's Lives of Jackson. 



344 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter water. When night set in, the brave Manowa* rose from 

XXXVIII. 

his watery bed, and made his way to the forest, bleeding from 
many wounds. Many years after the war, we conversed with 
this Chief, and learned from him the particulars of his re- 
markable escape. His face, limbs and body, at the time we 
conversed with him, were marked with the scars of many hor- 
rible wounds. Another Chief was shot down, among a num- 
ber of slain warriors, and, with admirable presence of mind, 
saved his life, by drawing over him the bodies of two of them, 
under which he lay, till the darkness of the night permitted 
him to leave the horrible place. 

The loss of the Americans was thirty-two killed and ninety- 
nine wounded. The friendly Cherokees had eighteen killed 
and thirty-six wounded. The tory Creeks had five killed and 
eleven wounded. Among the slain were Major L. P. Mont- 
gomery and Lieutenants Moulton and Somerville, who fell in 
the charge upon the breast-works. 

Major Lemuel Purnell Montgomery was born in Wythe 
county, Virginia, in 1786. He was a relation, by consangui- 
nity, of the gallant general of that name, who fell at the 
storming of Quebec. His grandfather, Hugh Montgomery, 
of North-Carolina, a man of fortune and talents, commanded 
a whig company during the revolution, which he equipped 
and supported at his own expense. With this company he 
fought the British and tones with great success. He was a 

* Known by the American settlers as " Old Manorvvay." 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 345 

member of the convention which formed the constitution of chapter 

XXXVIII 

the State of North-Carolina, and, not long afterwards, one of 
the counties of that State was named in honor of him. The 
father of Major Montgomery, also named Hugh, was a man 
of talents, and, having removed to Virginia, was a member 
of the Senate of that State. At Snow Hill, in Maryland, he 
married a lady, whose maiden name was Purnell, which was 
the middle name of*her son, the brave major, who fell at the 
Horse-Shoe. The father removed from Virginia to East 
Tennessee, near Knoxville. 

Major Montgomery completed his education at Washington 
College, Tennessee, studied law with Judge Trimble, of Knox- 
ville, and established himself in that profession at Nashville, 
where, in four years, his attainments, eloquence, zeal, fearless 
independence and popular bearing, rendered him a formidable 
rival of the able Felix Grundy.. During this period, he was 
frequently placed at the head of parties of armed horsemen ; 
and with them he scoured the dark gorges of the Cumberland 
mountains, in pursuit of desperate banditti, who had long 
pillaged the people in the vallies. At length he was ap- 
pointed by Madison first major of the thirty-ninth regiment, 
which he gallantly led to the breast-works of the Indians at 
the Horse-Shoe. He was the first man that mounted the 181 * 

March 27 

breast-work, and, while waving his sword and animating 
his men, a large ball, shot from the rifle of a Red Stick, 
entered his head, and instantly killed him. When the battle 
was ended, Jackson stood over his body, and wept. He 
exclaimed, " I have lost the flower of my army !" 



346 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter At the time of his death, Major Montgomery was only 
XX * twenty -eight years of age. His eyes were keen and black ; his 
hair was of a dark auburn color ; his weight was one hundred 
and seventy-five pounds ; his height was six feet and two 
inches ; his form was admirably proportioned, and he was, 
altogether, the finest looking man in the army. 

A diversity of opinion prevails among the soldiers of this 
campaign, as to the disposition of the body of Major Mont- 
gomery. Some contend that Jackson caused it to be sunk in 
the Tallapoosa river, to protect it from Indian brutalities. We 
have in our possession the affidavit of two soldiers, now living 
in Tennessee — John Lovelady and Samuel Gearing — which 
states that they assisted to bury the body of Montgomery, 
and bore off the surplus dirt which remained about the grave, 
upon the skin of a beeve, and threw it into the river. They 
then burnt brush over the grave, to conceal it from the keen 
eyes of the savages. Since then, and only a few years ago, 
the people of Tallapoosa county took up these remains, con- 
veyed them to their court-house, and deposited them in the 
ground, with military honors. The county of Montgomery, 
Alabama, was named in honor of Major Montgomery, while 
the memory of his relation, who fell at Quebec, is preserved 
in the name of the city. 

The day after the terrible battle of the Horse-Shoe, Gene- 
ral Jackson assumed the line of march, and reached Fort 
Williams on the second of April. 

Upon an examination of the Coosa river, it was found 
impracticable to transport the stores from Fort Williams to 



1814 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 347 

the termination of the falls, by water, and the reduced condi- chapter 

XXXVIII. 

tion of the horses and the roughness of the country rendered 
it impossible to transport them by land, in any quantity. 
However, with such provisions as the men could carry upon 
their backs, Jackson marched towards the Hickory Ground, A 18 r ^ 4 
relying upon the eastern army, whose advance-guard was 
then under Milton, for supplies. Heavy rains retarded his 
march ; but he reached Fooshatchie, where he captured a few 
prisoners. The Red Sticks fled from Hoithlewaule and other 
towns, across the Tallapoosa. 

Colonel Milton, with troops from the two Carolinas, had 
been a month at Fort Decatur, situated upon a commanding 
bluff, on the eastern side of the Tallapoosa, but took no step to 
co-operate with Jackson in preventing the escape of the Indians. 

Prevented from pursuing the enemy, by a flood in the 
river and the scarcity of provisions, Jackson marched to the 
head of the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Coosa 
and Tallapoosa, and planted his colors upon the spot where April 17 
Governor Bienville, one hundred years before, had erected Fort 
Toulouse, so long garrisoned by French troops. Here the 
rivers approach within six hundred yards of each other, and 
diverging, unite four miles below. 

The battle of the Horse-Shoe had nearly put an end to the 
war, and the dispirited Red Sticks made but few efforts to rally. 
Many came in and surrendered, while the larger portion escaped 
towards Florida. The old French trenches were cleaned out, 
and an American stockade with block-houses was erected upon 
the site, which received the name of Fort Jackson. 



348 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Deputations of Chiefs continually arrived, and submitted, 

"Y"Y"V"VTTT 

in behalf of themselves and their people, to such terms as 
General Jackson thought proper to impose. Among the most 
conspicuous of these was William Weatherford, who led the 
Indians at Fort Mims, and at the battles of Calebee and Holy 
Ground. Jackson had directed that he should be captured, 
if possible, and brought to him, confined, to receive such 
punishment as his crimes merited. Weatherford, a man 
without fear, boldly resolved to appear at the American camp, 
voluntarily. Mounting the same splendid gray steed which had 
borne him over the bluff at the Holy Ground,* he rode within 
a few miles of Fort Jackson, when a fine deer crossed his 
path and stopped within shooting distance, which he fired at 
and killed. Re-loading his rifle, with two balls, for the pur- 
1814 pose of shooting the Big Warrior, should he give him any 
cause, at the fort, he placed the deer behind his saddle, and 
advanced to the American outposts. Some soldiers, of whom 
he politely inquired for Jackson's whereabouts, gave him some 
unsatisfactory and rude replies, when a gray-headed man, a 
few steps beyond, pointed him to the marquee. Weatherford 
rode up to it, and checked his horse immediately at the en- 
trance, where sat the Big Warrior, who exultingly exclaimed, 
" Ah ! Bill Weatherford, have we got you at last !" 
The fearless Chieftain cast his keen eyes at the Big Warrior, 
and said, in a determined tone, 

* The Weatherfords always had fine horses, and. old Charles, the 
father, was a celebrated patron of the Alabama turf. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



349 



" Von d — d traitor, if you give me any insolence, I will 
blow a ball through your cowardly heart." 

General Jackson now came running out of the marquee, 
with Colonel Hawkins, and, in a furious manner, exclaimed, 

" How dare you, sir, to ride up to my tent, after having 
murdered the women and children at Fort Minis !" 

Weatherford said : 

" General Jackson, I am not afraid of you. I fear no man, 
for I am a Creek warrior. I have nothing to request in be- 
half of myself ; you can kill me, if you desire. But I come 
to beg you to send for the women and children of the war 
party, who are now starving in the woods. Their fields and 
cribs have been destroyed by your people, who have driven 
them to the woods, without an ear of corn. I hope that you 
will send out parties, who will, safely conduct them here, in 
order that they may be fed. I exerted myself in vain to 
prevent the massacre of the women and children at Fort 
Mims. I am now done righting. The Red Sticks are nearly 
all killed. If I could fight you any longer, I would most 
heartily do so. Send for the women and children. They 
never did you any harm. But kill me, if the white people 
want it done." 

At the conclusion of these words, many persons, who had 
surrounded the marquee, exclaimed, " Kill him ! Kill him ! 
Kill him !" General Jackson commanded silence, and, in an 
emphatic manner, said, 

"Any man who would kill as brave a man as this 
would rob the dead !" 



CHAPTER 
XXXVIII. 



1814 

April 



350 



TIIK AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



1814 
April 



chapter lie ili. mi invited Weatherford to alight, drank a glass of 
brandy with him, and entered into a cheerful conversation, 
under bis hospitable marquee. Weatherford gave him the 

deer, and they were then good friends. Be took no further 

pari in the war, except to influence his warriors to surrender/''' 
lie went t<> the place of his former residence, upon Little 

river, but soon had to Leave it, as his life was in constant 

danger. 

Me then went to Fort Claiborne, and the commanding offi- 
cer of that post saved him from being killed, by placing- him 
in a tent by himself, which was pitched very near the mar- 
quee, and which was constantly guarded by a iile of soldiers. 
After he had been kept there ten or fifteen days, the com- 
manding officer became Still more uneasy, for fear he would 
be killed by persons who bad lost relations at Fort JSIims, 
and who were bent on his destruction. He now resolved to 
send him beyond the lines, during a dark night About 
midnight, he sent his aid, followed by Weatherford, to the 
station of Major Laval, who was then a captain, and the offi- 
cer on guard, lie said, "Captain Laval, the commanding 
officer says you must take Weatherford to yonder tree, under 
which you will find a horse tied, and that he must mount the 

* Such is the account of Weatherford's interview with Jackson, as 
related by the Chieftain himself, to Colonel Robert .lames, o( Clarke, 
William Sisemore, of Little river, and many other persons. The 
incorrect statements of Eaton, in his Lite of Jackson, are doubtless 
based entirely upon camp gossip. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 35 \ 

horse and make his escape." Captain Laval instantly told chapter 

XXXVIII 

Wcatherford to follow him. He passed by the guard, giving 
the countersign, and reached the tree. Weatherford eagerly- 
seized the limb to which the horse was tied, threw the reins 
over the animal's head, shook Laval by the hand, and said, 
in earnest and grateful tones, " Good bye ! God bless you !" 
He then vaulted into the saddle, and rode off rapidly. That 
was the last time he ever saw Weatherford. For the distance 
of one mile, at least, Laval heard the clattering of the horse's 
feet,* 

After the war was over, Weatherford became a permanent 
citizen of the lower part of the county of Monroe, where, 
upon a good farm, well supplied with negroes, he lived, 
maintained an excellent character, and was much respected 
by the American citizens for his bravery, honor and strong 
native sense. In 1826, he died, from the effects of fatigue, 
produced by a desperate bear hunt. 

Many persons yet living bear testimony to the bravery and 
honor of William Weatherford, in private life, an instance of 
which we here take occasion to mention : 

In 1820, many people assembled at the sale of the effects 
of the deceased Duncan Henderson, in the lower part of 1820 
Monroe county, Alabama. An old man, named Bradberry — 
the father of the gallant lieutenant, who fought at Burnt 
Corn, and who was afterwards killed in another action — was 
cruelly murdered upon this occasion, by one C r, who 

* Conversations with Major Laval, a resident of Charleston, S. C. 



352 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter plunged a long knife into the back of his neck. The mur- 
derer had an accomplice, one F r, who was in pursuit of 

Bradberry at the same time, and who had, a few moments 
before, broken a pitcher over his head. These men were so 
desperate, and flourished their knives with such defiance, that 
Justice Henderson in vain called upon the bystanders to seize 
them, while the poor, unoffending old Bradberry, lay weltering 
in his blood. 

Shocked at the cowardly and brutal act, and provoked at 
the timidity of the bystanders, William Weatherford, who 
1820 lived in that neighborhood, now advanced towards Henderson, 
and said, in a loud voice, " These, I suppose, are white men's 
laws. You stand aside, and see a man, an old man, killed, 
and not one of you will avenge his blood. If he had one 
drop of Indian blood mixed with that which runs upon the 
ground there, I would instantly kill his murderers, at the risk 
of my life." Justice Henderson implored him to take them, 
and, being assured that the white man's law would not hurt 
him, but that he would be commended for the act, Weather- 
ford now drew forth his long, silver-handled butcher-knife, 
and advanced towards the murderers, who stood forty paces 
off, threatening to kill the first man who should attempt to 

arrest them. He first advanced to C r, who, trembling 

at his approach, let his knife drop by his side, and instantly 
surrendered. Seizing him by the throat, he said to the by- 
standers, "Here, tie the'd — d rascal." Then, going up to 
F r, upon whom he flashed his tiger eyes, he also arrested 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 353 



him, without the least opposition — F i exclaiming, "I chapter 

XXXVIII. 

will not resist you, Billy Weatherford." 

General Pinckney arriving at Fort Jackson, and being the April 20 
senior officer of the Southern army, assumed the command, 
and approved of all the acts of Jackson. Learning that the 
Indians were generally submitting, he ordered the West Ten- April 21 
nessee troops to march home. Two hours after the order was 
issued, they were in motion. Arriving at Camp Blount, near 
Fayetteville, Jackson discharged them, after gratifying them 
with a feeling address. He then repaired to the Hermitage, 
from which he had been absent eighteen months, in a hostile 
land, and, a portion of the time, almost alone. 

Pinckney remained at Fort Jackson, with the troops from 
the two Carolinas and those from East Tennessee. Four 
hundred of General Dougherty's brigade of East Tennesseans 
were stationed at Fort Williams. General Johnson, at the 
head of five hundred men, had been despatched to the Ca- 
hawba river, who proceeded to its source, and joined Jackson 
before he reached the Tennessee river. Several detachments 
were sent forth from Fort Jackson, who scoured the country 
in ail directions, for the fugitive Pied Sticks. Colonel Haw- 
kins performed several trips to the Chattahoochie, and exerted 
himself to induce the wretched Creeks to surrender, and ter- 
minate a war which had proved so disastrous to them. But 
the British, at Pensacola, were endeavoring to rally them. 
Two vessels had anchored at the mouth of the Apalachicola, 
and had landed five thousand stand of arms and abundant 
ammunition, and three hundred British troops had commenced 



July 1 



q-4 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter a fortification, under the command of a colonel. Runners 
xxxviii. were gent to a ^ p artg £ t j ie na ti 0I1> inviting the Indians to 
rush to that point for provisions and military supplies, and 
thither many of the Red Sticks repaired. The condition of 
the friendly Indians, too, was, at this time, most wretched, 
and upwards of five thousand of them were fed at the diffe- 
rent American posts.* 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 857-860. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



CHAPTEE XXXIX. 

TREATY OF FORT JACKSON— ATTACK UPON MO- 
BILE POINT— MARCH UPON PENSACOLA. 



355 



On the resignations of Generals Hamilton and Harrison, chapter 
Jackson had been promoted to the rank of major-general. 
Leaving the Hermitage once more, he proceeded, with a 
small escort, to Fort Jackson, where he safely arrived, and T J ? 1 * 

J ' July 10 

assumed the command of the Southern army. He had been 
empowered by the Federal Government to conclude a treaty 
of peace with the Creek nation. After much opposition from 
the Big Warrior, and other Chiefs, to the surrender of the 
territory which was demanded, a treaty was signed. It was August 9 
stipulated that a line should commence upon the Coosa, at 
the southern boundary of the Cherokee nation, and continue 
down that river to Wetumpka, and thence eastwardly to 
Georgia. East and north of that line, containing upwards of 
one hundred and fifty thousand square miles, remained to 
the Indians. West and south of it, was secured to the Uni- 
ted States. This territory was obtained as an indemnification 
for the expenses incurred by the government in prosecuting 
the war. Before the treaty was signed, the Big Warrior 
vol. ii. 19 



356 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter addressed Jackson and Hawkins, in a long speech, and ten- 

XXXIX 

dered them, in the name of the friendly Chiefs, a reservation 
of three miles square of land, each, u to be chosen where 
yon like, from that we are going to give, as near as you can 
to us, for we want you to live by us, and give us your advice/' 
To George Mayiield and Alexander Curnells, their interpre- 
ters, they also gave one mile square, each. Jackson accepted 
of this national mark of regard for him, if approved by the 
President, who, he said, " would, doubtless, appropriate its 
value in aid of your naked women and children.' 1 Colonel 
Hawkins said : 

" I have been long among you — I have grown grey in 
your service — I shall not much longer be your agent. You 
all know that when applied to by red, black or white, I looked 
not to color, but to the justice of the claim. I shall continue 
to be friendly and useful to you, while I live, and my chil- 
dren, born among you, will be so brought up as to do 
the same. I accept your present, and esteem it the more 
highly by the manner of bestowing it, as it resulted from the 
impulse of your own minds, and not from any intimation 
from the general or me."* 

Among other gallant officers present upon this occasion, 
was Colonel Arthur P. Hayne, who, after the peace, resided in 
Autauga county, Alabama, and was there much esteemed and 
respected. He was bom in Charleston, South-Carolina, on 
the 12th March, 1790, and descended from a family distin- 

* Indian Affairs, vol. 1. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 35*7 

guished in the Revolution. Although not of age when the chapter 

XXXIX 

attack was made by the British upon the Chesapeake, he en- 
tered Colonel Wade Hampton's regiment of light dragoons, as 
a first lieutenant. In 1809, he was stationed upon the Missis- 
sippi with Scott and Gaines, who then held the same rank 
with himself. When war was declared against England, 
Hayne was ordered to the North, and he presently participated 
in the battle of Sackett's Harbor, in which he displayed so 
much gallantry and judgment, that he was immediately pro- 
moted to the command of a squadron of cavalry, with the 
rank of major. He was with Wilkinson in 1813, on the St. 
Lawrence. General Hampton, who wanted Hayne to join 
his wing of the army, in one of his letters to the Secretary of 
War, employed this complimentary language : — " Send me 
Hayne ; I want his constitutional ardor — it will add much to 
the strength of my army." After Major Hayne had been in 
several severe engagements, at the North, he received the im- 
portant appointment of inspector-general; and being ordered 
to join Jackson, in the Creek nation, we find him at the 
marquee of that officer when the treaty was made. Colonel 
Hayne, during the battle of New-Orleans, was constantly in 
his saddle, executing the many hazardous trusts confided 
to him by Jackson, with promptness, bravery and ability. In 
later yea», the duties of important offices abroad, emanating 
from the Federal Government, have been confided to him. 
He is now a resident of Charleston. 

In the meantime, General Jackson had been vigilant as to 
the movements of the British and their Indian allies upon the 



358 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter coast of the Floridas. He constantly despatched spies to 
Pensacola and other points, who returned and confirmed the 
previous reports which had reached him. Provoked at the 
treachery of the Spaniards, he addressed a letter to Manri- 
quez, Governor of Pensacola, remonstrating against the atti- 
tude of the Spanish authorities towards the United States, a 
power with which Spain professed to be at peace. Manri- 
quez, in his reply, denied that the fugitive Red Sticks were 
then with him, and that if they were, he could not surrender 
them, upon the ground of hospitality, nor refuse them assist- 
ance at a moment when their distresses were so great ; and, 
in admitting that the English had and still used the posts of 
Florida, he justified it on account of a treaty which existed 
between Great Britain and the Indians, previous to the con- 
quest of the Floridas by Spain. Jackson replied in strong 
terms to this letter, despatching Captain Gordon with the doc- 
ument, who was instructed to gain additional information of 
the designs of the enemy. 

Having arranged all things at the fort which bore his name, 
1814 Jackson, in company with Colonel Hayne, departed down 

August 11 

the Alabama, in boats, with a portion of his troops, and ar- 
riving at Mobile, made that place his head-quarters. He had 
been admonished that it was the design of the English soon 
to attack the city. He addressed a letter to Colonel Butler, 
which reached that officer at Nashville, on the 9th of Sep- 
tember, urging him to hasten the advance of the volunteers 
to protect that point and New-Orleans. Soon, Gen. Coffee 
was on the march from Tennessee, at the head of two thou- 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 359 

sand men, while Colonel Butler hastened to press forward the chapter 

XXXIX 

militia, under Colonel Lowery, which had been, heretofore, re- 
quired for garrisoning posts in the Indian country. Captains 
Baker and Butler also commenced the march from Nash- 
ville to Mobile, with the regular forces lately enlisted. 

Colonel Nichol, an Irishman by birth, and now a British offi- 
cer, arrived at Pensacola with a small squadron of his majes- 
ty's ships, immediately manned the Forts Baraneas and St. 
Michael, and hoisted the British flag upon their ramparts. 
Making the house of Governor Manriquez his head-quarters, 
Nichol sought to draw around his standard the malcontents 
and traitors of the country, by issuing a proclamation, stating August 29 
that he had come with a force sufficient to relieve them from 
the chains which the Federal Government was endeavoring to 
rivet upon them. This presumptuous appeal was even ex- 
tended to the patriotic people of Kentucky and Louisiana. 
At the same time, in conjunction with Captain Woodbine, he 
employed himself in collecting and clothing, in British uni- 
form, the Red Sticks and Seminoles, whom he publicly drilled 
in the streets of Pensacola. To these, and all the Red Sticks, 
he promised a bounty of ten dollars for every scalp, whether 
of men, women or children. 

Fort Bowyer, at Mobile Point, had been dismantled by the or- 
ders of General Flournoy, who deemed it incapable of defence. 
Jackson, soon after arriving at Mobile, sailed to the Point, and 
after an inspection of this defence, resolved to garrison it. 
Sending from Mobile the artillery which was taken from it, 
and one hundred and thirty men, including officers, Major 



35Q THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter Lawrence, the commander, immediately prepared to resist 

XXXIX. 

the attacks of the enemy, should he make his appearance. 

September 12 ^ length a sentinel, stationed towards Lake Borgne, discov- 
ered six hundred Indians and one hundred and thirty British 
marines. In the evening, two English sloops of war, with 
two brigs, came to anchor on the coast, within six miles east 
from the fort. The next day, at twelve o'clock, the land force 

September 13 approaching within seven hundred yards, threw three shells 
and one cannon ball. The shells exploded in the air, but the 
ball carried away a timber of the rampart. The Americans, 
returning a few shots, forced the assailants to retire behind the 
sand hills, a mile and a half distant, where they began to 
raise intrenchments, but a few more discharges from the fort 
dispersed them. Some small boats were sent out from the 
ships to sound the channel, but the discharge from the bat- 

September 15 tery drove them off. The ships now stood out to sea, but 
about two o'clock they bore down upon the fort in order of 
battle, the Hermes, on board of which was Commodore 
Percy, being in the advance. The Americans opened a fire 
upon her at four o'clock, but she came to anchor within mus- 
ket shot — the other three taking their position behind her. 
The engagement became general, the ships discharging whole 
broadsides, while the American circular battery was destruc- 
tive in its operations. Captain Woodbine opened a battery 
with a land force, from behind a sand bluff on the south-eastern 
shore, seven hundred yards distant, but the south battery of the 
Americans soon dispersed them. A furious cannonade of an 
hour rilled the air with so much smoke, that Major Lawrence 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. %Ql 

ceased for a moment to ascertain the intentions of the Eng- chapter 

XXXIX 

lish, seeing that the halyard of the commodore's flag had 
been carried away. The commodore raised a new flag, and, 
at that moment, all the guns of the American battery were 
discharged, sensibly shaking the earth around. After a short 
silence, the English renewed the action. The cable of the 
Hermes was cut, and she was carried away by the current, 
keeping her head to the fort, which enabled Lawrence, for 
twenty minutes, to rake her, fore and aft. 

In the hottest of the engagement, Lawrence seized a sponge 
staff, and hoisted upon the edge of the parapet another flag, to 
supply the place of the one which had been carried away. The 
land force, under Woodbine, seeing the fall ot the flag, rushed September 15 
in triumph towards the fort ; but some discharges of grape 
again dispersed them. The Hermes drifted a half mile, ran 
aground and was set 011 fire. The brig was so disabled that 
she could scarce retire, to join the other two vessels, which 
now all put to sea. At eleven o'clock at night, the explosion 
of the magazine blew up the Hermes.* 

The attack upon Mobile Point was a confirmation of the 
previous conjecture of General Jackson, and he determined to 
throw a force into Pensacola sufficient to expel the enemy, 
who had sailed to that place after their defeat at Fort Bow- 
yer. He despatched Colonel Hayne to Fort Montgomery, 

* British loss — 162 killed, 70 wounded ; American loss — 4 killed, 
4 wounded. Latour's War in West Florida and Louisiana, pp. 32-42. 
Russell's History of the War, p. 279. Williams' Florida, p. 200. 
Eaton's Life of Jackson, pp. 236-237. 
19* 



362 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter which was then in command of Colonel Thomas H. Benton, 

XXXIX. 

under whose superintendence it was erected, for the purpose 
of organizing the troops in that quarter. Colonel Hayne 
discharged this duty with his usual promptness and decision. 
About this time, General Coffee had encamped on the western 
side of the Tombigby, opposite the Cut-Off, with two thous- 

October26 an( l eight hundred men. Jackson reached his camp, and 
strained every nerve to afford supplies for the army, effecting 
loans upon his own credit and responsibility. The army 
crossed the Tombigby, and proceeded across Nannahubba 
Island, to Mims's Ferry. One thousand volunteers, hitherto 
mounted, left their horses in the care of keepers, to feed on 
the cane, and now cheerfully marched on foot. Reaching 
Fort Montgomery, the army reposed a short time, and again 

November 4 took up the line of march for Pensacola. It consisted of the 
third, thirty-ninth and forty-fourth regiments of infantry, the 
militia of Tennessee, a battalion of volunteer dragoons of the 

November 6 Mississippi Territory, and some friendly Indians. Encamping 
within one mile and a half of Pensacola, Jackson sent a de- 
tachment of cavalry, under Lieutenant Murray, of the Mis- 
sissippi dragoons, to reconnoitre. They captured a Spanish 
picket-guard, but could perceive nothing. Lieutenant Murray 
was, unfortunately, killed by an Indian, while in a path, some- 
what separated from his command. 

Major Pierre was despatched from head-quarters to the 
governor, with a summons, preparatory to an attack upon the 
town, but was fired upon when he had arrived within three 
hundred yards of Fort St. Michael, although he held a white 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 333 

flag in his hand. Impelled by a feeling of humanity towards chapter 



the oppressed Spaniards, whose fortifications were held by the 
English, Jackson sent a letter, by a prisoner, to the governor, 
demanding an explanation for the insult offered to his flag. 
Through an officer, his excellency disclaimed any participation 
in the transaction, and gave a pledge that American officers 
should, in future, be treated with respect. Major Pierre being 
again sent, at midnight, was unsuccessful in his negotiation 
with the governor to allow Jackson to occupy Forts Barancas 
and St. Michael, until Spanish troops should arrive in suffi- 
cient numbers to protect the Floridas from British outrages 
upon the neutrality of the nation. Major Pierre then left the 
governor, with the assurance that recourse would be had to 
arms. 

Zachariah McGirth, who has been mentioned in reference 
to Fort Mims and the battle of Calebee, was sent by Jackson 
into Pensacola, to ascertain the number and position of the 
enemy. About midnight he returned, and reported that a 
body of Indians, British and Spaniards, whom he estimated 
at over five thousand, occupied the heart of the town, and 
that some distance in advance of them, in the direction of the 
American camp, another party had erected a battery, across 
a street. Knowing that this battery commanded the only 
avenue by which he could reach the enemy, without passing 
under the guns of Fort St. Michael, Jackson determined to 
remove it. He sent for Captain Laval, of the third regiment, 
and informed him that he had selected him as the man to 
" lead the forlorn hope." He ordered him to pick one hun- 



xxxix. 



1814 
November 6 



3g4 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



chapter d re( } anc [ twenty men, for the purpose of storming* the bat- 

XXXIX 

tery. Laval commanded a company composing that number, 
and, although he had the option of selecting men from other 
companies, he first appealed to his own men, and stated to 
them the dangerous duty which had been assigned to him. 
They all responded, by saying, " Wherever you go, Captain 
November 7 ^aval, w r e follow." About eight o'clock in the morning Laval 
began his march. Captain Denkins, who was ordered to sup- 
port him with two pieces of artillery, if it should become 
necessary, marched some distance in his rear. Colonel Hayne, 
so anxious for the success of Laval, who was his warm friend, 
rode in the rear of the company. When Laval came near 
the battery, Denkins and his artillery were far behind, in con- 
sequence of the rapid march of the former, and the heavy 
sand, which retarded the pieces of the latter. The enemy 
opened their cannon upon the " forlorn hope," while nume- 
rous assailants annoyed them, by cross fires, from the houses 
and gardens. The brave Laval, at the head of his company, 
however, marched steadily on. Colonel Hayne now dis- 
mounted, and rushed upon the enemy on foot. Finally, 
Laval reached the battery, and, at that moment, a large grape 
shot tore his leg to pieces, and he instantly fell to the ground. 
The troops rushed over the battery, and secured the pieces of 
the enemy, all of whom presently fled, except the command- 
ing officer, who bravely maintained his position, and was 
taken a prisoner. 

Captain William Laval, now Major Laval, was born on the 
2*7th May, 1788, in Charleston, South-Carolina. His father 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



365 



who had been an officer in France, came to America with chapter 

XXXIX 

the French army, in the legion of the Duke of Lauzun, to 
assist us in the struggle for our liberties. He was a cavalry 
officer, and participated in several of the American battles in 
Virginia, Delaware and New-Jersey, and, after peace was 
declared, was, for many years, a Sheriff of the Charleston 
district. The son entered the American army in October, 
1808, as an ensign. He was stationed at Forts Moultrie and 
Johnson, and at a recruiting encampment upon the Catawba. 
In 1812, he was appointed a first lieutenant. In January, 
1813, he advanced, with his company, commanded by Cap- 
tain Moore, from Fort Hawkins, across the Creek nation, to 
Mobile, and fro thence to New-Orleans. Very soon after, 
when the Creek war broke out, he was promoted to the post 
of captain, and marched with the third regiment, to which his 
company belonged, to Fort Claiborne, and from thence to the 
Holy Ground, in the battle of which he participated. From the 
wound which he received upon the occasion of the siege of Pen- 
sacola, he was a severe sufferer for two years ; but, although it 
has rendered him a cripple for life, he is now in fine health, 
and moves upon his crutches with ease and animation. Since 
the war, he has held various respectable offices, conferred by a 
people grateful for his military services. He has been a Secreta- 
ry of State of South-Carolina, its Comptroller-General, a Sheriff 
of Charleston, an officer in the custom-house, Assistant Treasur- 
er of the United States under Mr. Polk, and is now the Treasur- 
er of the State of South-Carolina. Major Laval is near six feet 



366 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter high, very erect in person, and presents a very striking and 

XXXIX 

military appearance. 
November 7 In tlie capture of the Spanish battery, seven Americans 
were killed and eleven wounded, among whom, besides Laval, 
was Lieutenant Flournoy. Four Spaniards were killed, six 
wounded, and several captured. 

After the storming of this battery, three thousand Ameri- 
cans, in three columns, advanced, and proceeded along the 
beach, eastward of the town, to avoid the fire from St. Mi- 
chael. A flag of truce from Governor Manriquez produced 
a cessation of hostilities. The former terms of Jackson were 
now agreed to ; but the commandant of St. Michael refused 
to obey the governor. Jackson now, leaving Major Pierre, 
with eight hundred men, with orders to possess the fort before 
night, retired to his camp with the remainder of his troops, 
the British attempting to intercept his masch by the fire of 
long guns, from the shipping. 

It was important that the Americans should possess the 
fort before morning, for the British vessels, provided with 
spring cables, were, at any moment, ready to fire the town, or 
effect a landing. Indeed, by the aid of their boats, they had 
continued to fire upon our troops, as they passed along the 
principal streets ; but Lieutenant Call, with a single piece of 
artillery, suddenly appeared upon the beach, and dispersed 
them. Five hundred men were now placed upon the beach, 
to oppose the landing of the British, while Captain Denkins, 
with two companies and three pieces of cannon, occupied 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 3g^ 

Mount St. Bernard, which commanded Fort St. Michael. At chapter 

XXXIX. 

six o'clock, P.M., Colonel Sotto, after having sent a verbal 
message that he would surrender, refused to receive Captain 
Denkins and his command, which had been ordered to possess 
the fort, upon the pretence that they could not evacuate before 
morning. When Denkins was about to commence an attack, 
Sotto, aware of the consequences, surrendered, and, at eleven November7 
o'clock at night, the Americans took possession. On the 
same afternoon, the battery of St. Rose, opposite Fort Baran- 
cas, was blown up by the Spaniards. 

The next morning, the governor refused to give an order November 8 
for the surrender of Fort Barancas, and Jackson resolved to 
take it ; but, while preparations were making to march down 
against it, it was blown up, by order of the commandant. 
The British shipping, by this act, were enabled to pass by 
the ruins of Fort Barancas, and put to sea. Had Jackson 
possessed it in time, they would have been cut off from re- 
treat. 

Having effected the expulsion of the British from Pensa- 
cola, captured one of the forts, while the others were destroyed 
by the enemy themselves, and forced the Red Sticks to retreat 
to the forests, in a perishing condition, and, being aware that 
his army could only be supported by tedious land transporta- 
tion, that winter was setting in, and that the defence of New- 
Orleans demanded his services, General Jackson took up the 
line of march for Fort Montgomery, where he arrived without November 9 
accident. 

Placing a considerable portion of his army under Major 



358 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter Uriah Blue, of the thirty-ninth regiment, the commander-in- 

XXXIX 

chief visited Mobile, and then departed for New-Orleans. 

Major Blue, at a period between the attack upon Pensaco- 
la and the battle of New-Orleans, scoured the swamps of the 
Escambia and all the bays in West Florida, with a large force 
of mounted men, consisting of Americans, Choctaws, Chicka- 
saws and friendly Creeks. He killed many of the refugee 
Creeks, who fought him in their dense retreats, and captured 
a large number, besides women and children, whom he con- 
stantly sent to Fort Montgomery, guarded by strong detach- 
ments. We regret exceedingly that want of space forces us 
to omit a detailed account of this fatiguing and perilous ex- 
pedition, taken from the lips of an intelligent surgeon. In 
some other work, we hope to be able to record the brilliant 
achievements and valuable services performed, on this occa- 
sion, by Major Blue. We would remark, however, that he 
was the officer who brought the Creek war of 1813 and 1814 
to a final termination. No official account of this march has 
fallen into our hands, and we believe none exists. 

In drawing our account of the Creek war to a close, we 
cannot refrain from indulging in some reflections upon the 
bravery, endurance, self-sacrifice and, patriotism of the Red 
Sticks. Let us, for a moment, recapitulate their achievements, 
never yet rivalled in savage life. They defeated the Ameri- 
cans at Burnt Corn, and compelled them to make a precipi- 
tate retreat. They reduced Fort Mims, after a tight of five 
hours, and exterminated its numerous inmates. They en- 
countered the large force under Coffee, at Tallasehatche, and 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 359 



fought till not one warrior was left, disdaining to beg for 
quarter. They opposed Jackson at Talladega, and, although 
surrounded by his army, poured out their fire, and fled not 
until the ground was almost covered with their dead. They 
met Floyd at Auttose, and fought him obstinately, and then 
again rallied and attacked him, a few hours after the battle, 
when he was leading his army over Heydoi^s Hill. Against 
the well-trained army of Claiborne they fought at the Holy 
Ground, with the fury of tigers, and then made good their 
retreat across the Alabama. At Emuckfau, three times did 
they charge upon Jackson, and when he retreated towards 
the Coosa, they sprang upon him, while crossing the creek at 
Enitachopco, with the courage and impetuosity of lions- 
Two days afterwards, a party under Weatherford rushed upon 
the unsuspecting Georgians, at Calebee, threw the army into 
dismay and confusion, and stood their ground, in a severe 
struggle, until the superior force of Floyd forced them to fly, 
at daylight. Sixty days after this, Jackson surrounded them 
at the Horse-Shoe, and, after a sanguinary contest of three 
hours, nearly exterminated them, while not one of them 
begged for quarter. At length, wounded, starved and beaten, 
hundreds fled to the swamps of Florida ; others went to 
Pensacola, and, rallying under Colonel Nichol, attacked Fort 
Bowyer. Fierce scouting parties, during the whole war, had 
operated against them, from point to point, and they were 
not finally overcome until Major Blue made the expedition 
just related. 

Thus were the brave Creeks opposed by the combined 



CHAPTER 
XXXIX. 



3^0 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter armies of Georgia, Tennessee and the Mississippi Territory, 

XXXIX 

together with the federal forces from other States, besides 
numerous bands of bloody Choctaws and Chickasaws. Fresh 
volunteers and militia, from month to month, were brought 
against them, while no one came to their assistance, save a 
few English officers, who led them to undertake enterprises 
beyond their ability to accomplish. And how long did they 
contend against the powerful forces allied against them ? 
From the 27th of July, 1813, to the last of December, 1814. 
In every engagement with the Americans, the force of the 
Creeks was greatly inferior in number, except at Burnt Corn 
and Fort Minis. 

Brave natives of Alabama ! to defend that soil where the 
Great Spirit gave you birth, you sacrificed your peaceful sa- 
vage pursuits ! You fought the invaders until more than 
half your warriors were slain ! The remnant of your warlike 
race yet live in the distant Arkansas. You have been forced 
to quit one of the finest regions upon earth, which is now 
occupied by Americans. Will they, in some dark hour, 
when Alabama is invaded, defend this soil as bravely and as 
enduringly as you have done 8 Posterity may be able to 
reply. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 



371 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE BRITISH TAKE MOBILE POINT— PEACE DE- 
CLARED—THE ALABAMA TERRITORY. 

The victory of the Americans, at New-Orleans, forced the 

J CHAPTER 

British to abandon the banks of the Mississippi, and hover xl. 
about Mobile Point. Twentv-five of their vessels anchored 1815 

January 8 

in a semi-circular position, five miles from Fort Bowyer. 
Thirteen ships of the line anchored two miles in rear of it. 
Five thousand men landed and encamped. After several 
days of the most active preparations, for the reduction of this 
little American defence, still under the command of the brave 
Major Lawrence, the latter assembled a council of his officers, 

J ' Februarys 

who decided that it was impossible to contend with a power- 
ful force, both by sea and land. The next day, according to 
previous negotiations, three hundred and sixty Americans, 
including officers, marched out of Fort Bowyer, with colors 
flying and drums beating, and took up quarters on board of 
three British ships of the line, as prisoners of war.* 

The treaty of peace between England and the United 1814 

December 24 
* Latour's Late War in West Florida and Louisiana, pp. 207-216. 



3^2 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 

chapter States, concluded at Ghent, did not reach General Jackson, at 

XL 

New-Orleans, until the 13th March. A few days after this, 
the latter informed Admiral Cochrane, of the British navy, 
of the joyous intelligence. But the latter, whose fleet still 
lay about Mobile Point, did not leave our shores immediately, 
in consequence of the exchange erf prisoners constantly going 
on. Besides this, the great mortality from the wounds and 
disease which prevailed throughout his shipping, still further 
retarded his departure. Hundreds of British soldiers were 
entombed in the white sands of Mobile Point and Dauphin 
Island. At length, the 1st of April witnessed the departure 
of our enemies, and the happiness of our people, now once 
more left to repose. 

At this period, a large tract of country was still in posses- 
sion of the Chickasaws, south and west of Madison county ; 
but the American population began to form settlements upon 
it. Hundreds went lower down, upon the Tombigby, and 
others upon its head waters. Governor Holmes extended, by 
proclamation, the jurisdiction of the Mississippi Territory over 
the country of the Black Warrior and Tombigby, now ac- 
quired from the Ghickasaws by treaty, and gave the whole 
the name of Monroe county. 

Madison, north of the Tennessee, at this time less than 
thirteen miles square, had, within six years, obtained a popu- 
lation of more than ten thousand souls, many of whom were 
wealthy and intelligent planters from the Southern Atlantic 
States. Gabriel Moore, Hugh McVay and William Winston, 
were elected to the Territorial Legislature, from this county, in 



1815 
June i 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 3^3 

June. Fifteen hundred and seventy votes were cast in Madi- chapter 
son, at the election for a delegate to Congress, while the 
aggregate vote of the counties of Jefferson, Claiborne and June 
Adams, was only fourteen hundred and twenty. The AVash- 
ington district, upon the Tombigby, sent only two members 
to the Territorial Legislature. 

The lands acquired by the treaty of Fort Jackson began to 
be only partially settled, as much of them was still in the 
occupancy of the Creeks, who had not removed, and, owing 
to the intrigues of British emissaries, still in Florida, the 
boundary lines had not been established. Indeed, even before 
the 16th October, the Creeks had again commenced hostilities 
upon the frontiers of Georgia, and had broken up the military 
cantonments on the line from Fort Jackson to Fort Mitchell. 
Again, settlements were still further retarded by the procla- December 12 
mation of the President, forbidding the settlement of this 
territory until it was surveyed. 

To facilitate the advance of population north and west of 
the Creek nation, and to prevent encroachments upon the 
Choctaws, Chickasaws and Cherokees, commissioners of the 
United States obtained, by treaties, in the autumn of 1816, all 
the territory from the head waters of the Coosa, westward, to 
Cotton Gin Port, and to a line running from thence to the 
mouth of Caney Creek, on the Tennessee. After this, the Ame- 
ricans pressed forward, and, before the close of 1816, the popu- 
lation of the Mississippi Territory was more than seventy-five 
thousand, including slaves. Forty -six thousand of this popu- 
lation was distributed in the counties west of Pearl river, the 



374 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter remainder in the Tennessee valley, and upon the Tombigby 
and the Mobile. 
1817 On the 1st March, Congress declared that the Mississippi 

Territory should be divided, by a line commencing at the 
mouth of Bear Creek, on the Tennessee, thence to the north- 
west corner of Washington county, and thence south, with 
the western limit of that county, to the sea. A Convention, 
also upon the authority of Congress, composed of forty-four 
delegates, assembled at the town of Washington, near Nat- 
August 15 chez, and adopted the constitution of the State of Mississippi. 
None of the counties now lying in Alabama were represented 
in this convention. On the 10th December, the acts of the 
convention were ratified by Congress, and Mississippi became 
a member of the Federal Union. 

The territory east of the new State of Mississippi, Congress 
erected into a territorial government, giving it the name of 
Alabama, from the great river which drained its centre. 
Upon the first organization of this new government, seven 
counties only — Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, Clarke, Madi- 
son, Limestone and Lauderdale — were formed within our 
limits, and they enjoyed the legislative and judicial powers 
which they possessed before the division, and the officers 
retained their places. The seat of government was tempo- 
rarily fixed at St. Stephens. 

William Wyatt Bibb was appointed Governor of the Ala- 
bama Territory. He was born in Amelia county, Virginia, 
October 2d, 1781. His father, William Bibb, had held the 
commission of captain, in the revolutionary war, and was 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



375 



afterwards a respectable member of the legislature of Vir- chapter 

XL 

ginia. His mother, whose maiden name was Wyatt, a native 
of New Kent county, of the same State, was a lady of supe- 
rior intellect, and was favorably known to the early settlers of 
Alabama. The family removed to Georgia at an early period, 
and settled in Elbert county, upon the Savannah. Captain 
Bibb died in 1796, leaving to his wife the care and responsi- 
bility of eight children, all of whom she lived to see in 
affluent and respectable positions in life. William, the sub- 
ject of this notice, graduated at the College of William and 
Mary, returned to Georgia and established himself as a phy- 
sician, in the town of Petersburg. Shortly afterwards, he 
was elected to the legislature, where, for several sessions, he 
evinced considerable talents and usefulness. When scarcely 
twenty-five years of age, he took a seat in Congress, at the 
commencement of the session of 1806, where he was an 
active and efficient member. From the Senate of the United 
States, to which he afterwards succeeded, he was transferred 
by President Monroe to the government of Alabama. 

The first Territorial Legislature convened at St. Stephens, 
the 19th January, 1818. James Titus was the only member 
of the Executive Council or Senate. He sat alone, and deci- 
ded upon the acts of the lower house, and adjourned, and met 
again, with a show of formality quite ludicrous. Gabriel 
Moore, of Madison county, was the speaker of the house, 
which was composed of about thirteen members. Governor 
Bibb, on the 20th, presented his message, in which he recom- 
mended the advancement of education, the establishment of 
vol. n. 20 



376 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter roads, bridges and ferries, the alteration in the boundaries of 
counties, and the formation of new ones, and many other 
things, calculated to promote the welfare of the Territory. 
He brought to the serious attention of the assembly the peti- 
tion from the Mississippi convention, recently addressed to 
Congress, praying that body to enlarge the limits of Missis- 
sippi, by restricting those of the Alabama Territory to the 
1818 Tombigby river. He opposed the project, and contended 
that the present line of partition had been deliberately fixed 
by the competent authorities, and voluntarily accepted by the 
people of that State. 

Thomas Easton was elected Territorial printer. George 
Philips, Joseph Howard, Mathew Wilson, Joseph P. Kennedy, 
John Gayle and Reuben Saffold, were selected as nominees, 
from whose number the President of the United States should 
select three members for the next legislative council. 

The counties of Cotaco, Lawrence, Franklin, Limestone, 
Lauderdale, Blount, Tuscaloosa, Marengo, Shelby, Cahawba, 
Dallas, Marion and Conecuh, were established. In each, the 
superior courts of law and equity, and two county courts, and 
one intermediate court, were to be holden annually. They 
were allowed one representative, each, in the legislature. 

The boundaries of Washington, Baldwin, Mobile and Ma- 
rengo, were altered and extended. Madison, the shape of which 
was formerly that of a triangle, was now made to assume its 
present form. The St. Stephens Academy was incorporated, 
and its trustees authorized to raise four thousand dollars by a 
lottery. ' ; The St. Stephens Steamboat Company " was also 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



377 



1818 
February 



incorporated. Hudson Powell, Robert Gaston, Joseph H. chapter 
Howard, Howell Rose and George Dabney, were appoint- 
ed commissioners, to select a temporary place at which to 
hold the courts of Montgomery county, then of vast extent. 

The legislature repealed the laws upon usury, and al- 
lowed any interest agreed upon between the parties, and 
expressed in writing, to be legal. The compensation of the 
members was fixed by themselves, upon a more liberal scale 
than at present. The speaker and president were allowed 
seven, and the members, five dollars per diem, besides mile- 
age. 

Clement C. Clay, Samuel Taylor, Samuel Dale, James 
Titus and AVilliam L. Adams, were elected commissioners, to 
report to the next session the most central and eligible site 
for the Territorial legislature. 

Madison, Limestone, Lauderdale, Franklin, Lawrence and 
Catoco counties, were erected into the "northern judicial dis- 
trict." Governor Bibb, on the 14th February, appointed 
Henry Minor attorney-general of this district. 

Clarke, Washington, Monroe, Conecuh, Baldwin and Mobile 
counties, composed the "southern judicial district," and Mathew 
D. Wilson was appointed the attorney general thereof. 

Marion, Blount, Shelby, Montgomery, Cahawba, Marengo, 
Dallas and Tuscaloosa counties, composed the "middle judicial 
district," and Joseph Noble was appointed its attorney-general. 

Before the division of the Mississippi Territory, and while 
the legislature sat at Washington, in Adams county, a stock 
bank had been established at Hunts ville. A resolution, 



3T8 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter adopted at the session of St. Stephens, changed its name to 
XL ' that of " Planters and Merchants Bank of Himtsville." The 
Tombigby stock bank was also now established, with a capi- 
tal of five hundred thousand dollars. Such were the only 
important acts of the first session of the legislature of the 
Alabama Territory.* 

But Indian disturbances, as we have said, had commenced. 
Although the British army had sailed for Europe, yet there 
were still subjects of that nation in the Floridas, who origi- 
nated the " Seminole war ;" among the most active of whom 
were Captain Woodbine, Colonel Nichol, Alexander Arbuth- 
not and Robert C. Ambrister. They had adopted the opinion 
of Lord Castlereagh, that the 9th article of the treaty of 
Ghent entitled the Creeks to a restoration of the lands which 
they had been compelled to relinquish, at Fort Jackson. 
Woodbine, entering upon the task of enforcing this ill-found- 
ed claim, had conducted to Florida a colony of negro slaves, 
which had been stolen by the British, during the war, from 
the Southern planters. He had ascended the Apalachicola, 
and had erected a stroflg fort, which was well supplied with 
artillery and stores. From this point, he had presumptuously 
addressed Hawkins a letter, demanding the restoration of the 
ceded lands, and represented himself as commanding his 
majesty's forces in Florida. Hostilities had already com- 
menced upon the frontiers, and even the Big Warrior had 
declared that he had been deceived as to the extent of the 

* State Archives. 



1815 

April 2 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



379 



August 26 



lands which had been forced from him. Colonel Clinch, of chapter 
Georgia, with detachments under Major Muhlenburg and 
Captain Zachary Taylor, had invested and completely 
destroyed Woodbine's negro fort, killing many of the inmates, 
and burning a vast amount of military property. Notwith- 
standing these difficulties, emigrants continued boldly to push 
through the Creek nation, and to occupy portions of the Ala- 
bama Territory. A small colony had established themselves 
in the present Butler county. Among them was Captain 
William Butler, a native of Virginia, who had been a mem- 
ber of the Georgia legislature, and the commander of a com- 
pany of volunteers at the battle of Calebee ; Captain James 
SafTold, a lawyer, who had commanded a company of artil- 
lery, under Major Mcintosh, while stationed at Fort Deca- 
tur, besides William P. Gardner, Daniel Shaw, James D. K. 
Garrett, Britaki M. Pearman, and others, all of whom came 
recently from Georgia. Most of these worthy settlers pitched 
their camps upon the ridge near the residence of the late 
Chancellor Crenshaw. Two years previous to this, however, 
a few emigrants had settled on the Federal Road, near where 
Fort Dale was afterwards erected, in the present county of 
Butler, among whom were William Ogle, his wife, and five 
children, with J. Dickerson. Another settlement had been 
formed in the " Flat," on the western border of that county. 

Sam McNac, who still lived near the Pinchoma, on the 
Federal Road, informed these emigrants that hostile Indians 
were prowling in that region, who meditated mischief. A 
temporary block-house was immediately erected, at 



March 



330 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter Gary's, and those in the Flat began the construction of a 

XL 

fort, afterwards called Fort Bibb, enclosing the house of Cap- 
tain Saffold, who had removed from the ridge to that place. 
On the 6th March, William Ogle drove his ox-cart in the 
direction of Fort Claiborne, for provisions, and he had not 
proceeded far before a Chief, named Uchee Tom, and seven- 
teen warriors, seized the rope with which he was driving, and 
gave other evidences of violence, but finally suffered him to 
proceed. Feeling much solicitude on account of his family, 
and purchasing corn at Sepulga Creek, he returned home, 
where the Indians had been, in the meantime, and had mani- 

1818 

March fested a turbulent disposition. On the 13th of March, Ogle 
attended a company muster, and from thence there went 
home with him, in the evening, an old acquaintance, named 
Eli Stroud, with his wife and child. Meeting in a savage 
land, under sad apprehensions, these friends, having put their 
children to sleep, sat by the fireside of the cabin, and conti- 
nued to converse, in under tones, ever and anon casting their 
eyes through the cracks, to discover if Indians were approach- 
ing. Presently, by the dim light of the moon, Ogle saw a 
band of Red Sticks, who stealthily but rapidly approached 
the house. Springing from his seat, he seized his gun, ran 
to the door, and set on his fierce dogs ; but was soon shot 
dead, falling upon the threshold which he was attempting to 
defend. Stroud and his wife sprang over his body into the 
yard, leaving their infant sleeping upon the hearth, and ran 
off, pursued by a part of the savages. Paralyzed with fear, 
Mrs. Ogle at first stood in the floor, but, recovering herself, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 33^ 



ran around the corner of the house, and, protected by a large chapter 
dog, escaped to a reed brake hard by, where she concealed 
herself. Here she heard the screams of Mrs. Stroud, who 
appeared to be running towards her, but who was soon over- 
taken and tomahawked. The savages entered the house, 
dashed out the brains of the infant, which was sleeping upon 
the hearth, and butchered the other children, whose shrieks 
and dying groans the unhappy mother heard, from the place 
of her concealment. After robbing the house, the wretches 
decamped, being unable to find Stroud, who lay not far off, 
in the high grass. The next morning, some of the emigrants 
assembled, to survey the horrid scene. During the night, 
Mrs. Stroud had scuffled to the cabin, and was found in the 
chimney corner, sitting beside the body of her child, bereft of 
her senses. Ogle and four children lay in the sleep of death. 
His two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary Ann, were still alive, 
and were taken, with Mrs. Stroud, to the houses of the kind 
settlers, and, in a short time, were sent to Fort Claiborne, 
with an escort furnished by Colonel Dale. On the way, Mrs. 
Stroud died, and, not long after reaching Claiborne, Mary 
Ann also expired. Elizabeth, through the kind attentions of 
Dr. John Watkins, survived her wounds, and is yet a resident 
of Butler county. 

One week after this massacre, Captains William Butler and 
James Saffold, in company with William P. Gardner, Daniel 
Shaw and young Hinson, set out from the fort, to meet Dale, I8i8 

J March 20 

who was then marching to that point with a party of volun- 
teers, a portion of whom they desired to induce him to send 
20* 



382 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



XL. 



chapter to the Flat, to protect the citizens, while cultivating their 
fields. Advancing about two miles, Savannah Jack and his 
warriors — the same who had murdered the Ogles — fired upon 
them from a ravine. Gardner and Shaw, riddled with rifle 
balls, fell dead from their horses. Butler and Hinson, both 
being wounded, were thrown to the ground. The latter, 
regaining his seat in his saddle, fled back to the fort. Unable 
to reach his horse, Butler attempted, by running across the 
ravine, to gain the road in advance of the Indians ; but he 
was pursued and shot at, from tree to tree, until he fell dead, 
but not before he had killed one of his pursuers. Captain 
Saffold escaped to the fort, receiving no injury, except the 
perforation of his clothes by rifle balls. A detachment, sent 
by Dale the next day, buried the dead, whose heads were 
beaten to pieces, and their bodies horribly mutilated.* 

Not long after this affair, an emigrant, named Stokes, with 
his wife and children, was killed, fifteen miles below Clai- 
borne. Great alarm pervaded the whole country, and the 
people moved upon the hills, and began the construction of 
defences. 

In the meantime, Governor Bibb, who had made several 
trips from Coosawda to St. Stephens, and who was well ap- 

* In relation to the murders in Butler county, I must return my 
thanks to John K. Henry, Esq., of Greenville, who took the pains to 
procure correct statements of them from J. Dickerson and James D. 
K. Garrett. The late Reuben Hill, of Wetumpka, also furnished notes 
upon this subject. 



1818 
March 21 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



383 



prised of these depredations, resorted to prompt measures to chapter 
afford protection to the settlers. By his directions, Colonel XL * 
Dale had marched to the scene of the late murders. Bibb 
sent a despatch to the Big Warrior, demanding the with- 
drawal of all the Indians from the lands ceded at Fort Jack- 
son, acquainting him with the murders committed upon unof- 
fending white people, and requesting that the authors be 
pursued and punished, by such warriors as he might think 
proper to send out. 

Dale advanced to Poplar Spring, erected a fort, which as- 
sumed his name, and assisted the people to finish Fort Bibb. 
Both of these forts were now garrisoned. Major Youngs, of 
the 8th infantry, stationed at Fort Crawford, despatched a 
detachment of whites and Choctaws, with orders to scour 
the Conecuh, and afterwards to join Dale. The latter also 
scoured the surrounding country, but overtook none of the 
Indians. Governor Bibb successfully co-operated with the 
United States officers stationed at Montgomery Hill and Fort 
Crawford, for the protection of the citizens, and he visited, in 
person, all the newly erected stockades. On the 25th May 
he returned to Coosawda, and, the next day, rode up to Took- *f 8 
abatcha, and had a friendly interview with the Big Warrior. 
Leaving the Secretary of State, Henry Hitchcock, a young 
New-Englander, of great ability, in charge of the government, 
his excellency returned to Georgia, upon urgent business. 

The Red Sticks, in the meanwhile, had collected in a con- 
siderable band, and the country over which Dale had the 



384 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter command becoming too hot to hold them, they crossed the 

XL * 

Alabama, and marched through Marengo and Greene. In 
McGowan's settlement, three children, named Hall, and a 
negro woman, were murdered, on the 14th September. Sus- 
picion falling upon Savannah Jack and his party, they were 
pursued, and trailed to Gun Island, or Gun Shute, on the 
Warrior, by Colonel Thomas Hunter, at the head of some 
s t^ber 15 se ttl ers - Night coming on, the pursuit ceased. The next 
day, a party under Major Taylor, and another under Captain 
Bacon, crossed the Warrior, to the western side, and, in a 
dense swamp, came upon the savages. An action of an hour 
ensued. The officers, acting with bravery and prudence, were 
sustained by only a few of their men. A retreat was at 
length made, with the loss of two men killed, and one se- 
verely wounded. The next day, Colonel Hunter, with fifty 
men, followed upon the trail of the enemy, and came upon a 
small party, one of whom was killed. The next morning he 
continued the pursuit, for twenty miles, to the Sipsey Swamp, 
where, from the impracticability of entering it, the enemy 
was left to repose.* 

This expedition was followed up by several others, upon 

the Warrior ; but the Creeks had, at length, determined to 

October leave the Americans in quiet possession of the lands, which 

were surrendered with such reluctance at the treaty of 

* Report of Colonel Hunter to Governor Bibb, to be found among 
the State Archives. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 335 

Fort Jackson. The flood-gates of Virginia, the two Carolinas, chapter 

XL 

Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia, were now hoisted, and 
mighty streams of emigration poured through them, spreading 
over the whole territory of Alabama. The axe resounded from 
side to side, and from corner to corner. The stately and 
magnificent forests fell. Log cabins sprang, as if by magic, 
into sight. Never, before or since, has a country been so 
rapidly peopled. 



386 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

MODERN FRENCH COLONY IN ALABAMA, OR 
THE VINE AND OLIVE COMPANY. 

chapter A colony of French sought Alabama as an asylum from 
XL1, Bourbon persecution. The winter of 1816 and 1817, found 
many of these distinguished refugees in Philadelphia. An 
ordinance of Louis XVIII. had forced them from France, on 
account of their attachment to Napoleon, who was then an 
exile upon St. Helena. 

The refugees despatched Nicholas S. Parmentier to the 
Federal city, to obtain from Congress a tract of land in the 
wild domain of the West, upon which they had resolved to 
establish a colony. On the 4th March, 1817, Congress au- 
thorized the sale of four townships to them, at two dollars 
per acre, on a credit of fourteen years, upon condition that 
they cultivated the vine and olive. In the meantime, the 
refugees had entered into a correspondence with intelligent 
persons of the West, in regard to the soil and climate of dif- 
ferent regions. Dr. Brown, of Kentucky, who had travelled 
in France, and had become much interested in these unhappy 
people, advised them to settle near the confluence of the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



387 



1818 
April 



Warrior and Tombigby, which they determined to do. Or- chapter 
ganizing in Philadelphia, the company was found to consist 
of three hundred and forty allottees, and the land was divided 
among them ; some acquiring a full share of four hundred 
and eighty acres, and others half and quarter shares, and 
some not more than eighty acres. To each man was also 
assigned a lot in the town which they were to establish, and 
also one in the suburbs. Associated with them, as assist- 
ants, were Prosper Baltard, A. Mocquart, and J. le Francois. 
George N. Stewart, then a youth of eighteen, and now a dis- 
tinguished lawyer of Mobile, was their secretary. 

The schooner McDonough was chartered, and the com- 
missioners, with many French emigrants, set sail from Phila- 
delphia. Late one evening, in the month of May, this vessel, 
bearing these romantic voyagers, was seen approaching Mo- 
bile Point, in the midst of a heavy gale. Governed by an 
obsolete chart, the captain was fast guiding her into danger. 
Lieutenant Beal, commanding at Fort Bowyer, perceiving 
her perilous situation, fired an alarm gun. Night coming on, 
and overshadowing both sea and land with darkness, he 
caused lights to be raised along the shore as guides to the 
distressed vessel. The wind continuing to increase, she was 
thrown among the breakers, and immediately struck. Sig- 
nals of distress being made, the noble lieutenant threw him- 
self into a boat, with five resolute men, and with Captain 
Bourke, formerly an officer. Mounting wave after wave, they 
reached the wreck about one o'clock in the morning. The 
wind had somewhat abated, and Beal crowded the women 



388 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter anc l children into his boat, and conducted them safely to shore. 

XLI 

The larger number of the colonists remained on board the 
schooner, which was ultimately saved, by being washed into 
deeper water. Bestowing upon the refugees every attention 
while they remained at the Point, Beal accompanied them to 
Mobile, and partook of a public dinner, w r hich they gave him, 
in token of their gratitude. 

The commissioners remained a few days at Mobile, which 
was then a small place, with but one wharf, and proceeded 
up the river in a large barge, furnished by Addin Lewis, the 
collector of the port. Stopping at Fort Stoddart, they were 
received with hospitality by Judge Toulmin, to whom they 
bore letters. They next visited General Gaines, then in com- 
mand of a large force at Fort Montgomery, and the barge 
then cut across to the Tombigby, and landed at St. Ste- 
phens — a place of some size, with refined and lively inhabi- 

June tants. Discharging the government boat, and procuring an- 
other barge, the refugees once more began their voyage up 
the winding and rapid current. Camping upon the banks 
occasionally, and exploring the country around, they at 

July length established themselves, temporarily, at the White 
Bluff. A portion of them proceeded to old Fort " Tombecbe," 
and near there, visited Mr. George S. Gaines, who was still 
United States Choctaw factor, whose table fed the hungry, 
and whose roof sheltered the distressed. He advised them to 
make their location in the neighborhood of the White Bluff. 
John A. Peniers and Basil Meslier, whom the association had 
despatched to explore the Red river country, now arrived. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 339 

Receiving favorable reports of the country in the Alabama chapter 

XLI. 

Territory, the association at Philadelphia took measures to 
colonize it. The west side of the Tombigby belonged to the 
Choctaws, and the east had recently been in possession of 
the Creeks. The region where the French emigrants had 
resolved to establish themselves, was an immense forest of 
trees and cane, interspersed with prairie ; and near the pre- 
sent town of Greensboro', was. Russell's settlement of Tennes- 
seans, and some distance below the White Bluff, were a few 
inhabitants. However, the French continued to arrive in 
boats, by way of Mobile, and cabins were erected about the 
White Bluff, in a rude and scattering manner. Having been 
accustomed to Parisian life, these people were very indifferent 
pioneers. Unprovided with wagons and teams, and unac- 
quainted with the shifts to which pioneer people are often 
compelled to resort, they made but slow progress in subduing 
the wilds. Provisions of all kinds were remarkably high. 
They, however, slowly struggled against these difficulties, and 
endeavored to raise provisions upon small patches, without 
knowing upon what tract, in the grant, they were to live in 
future. 

The meridian line was established, and the grant divided 
into townships and sections. A town was formed at the 
White Bluff, which, according to the request of Count Real, 
of Philadelphia, was called Demopolis — the city of thejjeople* 

* Afterwards, it proved that Demopolis was not embraced in the 
townships of the French grant. An American company purchased it 
of the United States, at fifty-two dollars per acre. 



300 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter To secure the river front, two fractional townships were chosen 
by the commissioners, instead of two entire townships. Emi- 
grants contintflng to arrive, great confusion and controversy- 
arose in the selection of lots and tracts of land, while the 
association at Philadelphia, unacquainted with the localities, 
were unwisely and arbitrarily planning their own forms of loca- 
tion. By a new contract, made between Mr. Crawford, Secre- 
tary of the Treasury, and Charles Villar, agent of the associa- 
December tion, the lands were sold, and the tracts of each person 
designated. The allotments made at Philadelphia, and rati- 
fied by Mr. Crawford, being different from those already made 
by the settlers, forced the latter to abandon many of their 
hard-earned improvements, and to retire further into the 
forest. This wretched state of things caused General Le- 
febvre Desnoettes, who had opened a farm on his Tombigby 
allotment, to proceed to Philadelphia to adjust these con- 
flicting interests. He succeeded only in securing his own 
improvements, while the claims of the others were disregarded, 
and the contract made at Washington was ordered to be en- 
forced. The settlers were then forced to retire upon the lands 
assigned them in township Eighteen, range three east, and 
township Eighteen, Nineteen and Twenty, in range four east. 
Among the French emigrants were many distinguished 
characters. Count Lefebvre Desnoettes had been a cavalry 
officer, under Bonaparte, with the rank of lieutenant-general^ 
Accompanying Napoleon, in his march to Russia, he rode 
with him in his carriage in his disastrous retreat over the 
snows of that country. He had served in Spain in many 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



391 



bloody engagements, and was an active participator in the chapter 

XLI 

dreadful battle of Saragossa. Vivacious and active, handsome 
in person and graceful in carriage, he was the most splendid 
rider of the age in which he lived. His imperial master was 
so much attached to him, that when forced to abdicate the 
throne, and about to depart for Elba, and while addressing 
his weeping and sorrowing officers at Fontainbleaui, said, " I 
cannot take leave of you all, but will embrace General Des- 
noettes in behalf of you all." He then pressed him to his 
bosom in the most affectionate manner. Napoleon frequently 
made him valuable presents, and influenced his cousin, the 
sister of the celebrated banker, La Fitte, to espouse him. 
While he was at Demopolis, that lady made an attempt to 
join him in exile, but being shipwrecked on the coast of Eng- 
land, was forced to return to France. At length, she nego- 
tiated with the French government for his return, and, through 
the influence of her family, succeeded in obtaining permission 
for him to reside in Belgium. This induced Count Des- 
noettes, in 1823, to leave Alabama in the ship Albion, which 
was wrecked upon the coast of Ireland, at Old Kinsale, in 
view of an immense number of people, who were standing on 
the cliffs. The distinguished refugee was washed overboard, 
and the ocean became his grave. While in Marengo county, 
he often received large sums of money from France, and was 
the wealthiest of the emigrants. Near his main dwelling he 
had a log cabin, which he called his sanctuary, in the centre 
of which stood a bronze statue of Napoleon. Around its 
feet were swords and pistols, which Desnoettes had taken in 



392 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter battle, together with beautiful flags, tastefully hung around 
the walls. 

M. Peniers, another distinguished emigrant, was a republican 
member of the National Assembly, and voted for the death 
of the amiable Louis XVI. He remained about Demopolis, 
engaged in agriculture, but procuring an appointment of Sub- 
Agent for the Seminoles, died in Florida, in 1823. Distin^ 
guished in France, and honored with many civil appointments, 
he was at last expatriated for his adherence to the fortunes of 
Napoleon. , 

Colonel Nicholas Roouba remarkable personage, had been 
a colonel under Bonaparte, and had accompanied him in his 
banishment to Elba. When his imperial master left that 
island, Rooul commanded his advanced guard of two hundred 
grenadiers upon the march from Caenes to Paris. When 
this small band was preparing to fire upon the king's troops 
under Marshal Ney, who had come to capture the emperor, 
Bonaparte advanced to the front of the lines, and gave the 
command to " order arms." Bearing his breast to Ney's 
division, he exclaimed, " if I have ever injured a French sol- 
dier, fire upon me." The troops of Ney shouted " vive la Em- 
pereur!" and Bonaparte marched at their head, through the 
gates of Paris. Colonel Rooul lived several years upon his 
grant, and, becoming much reduced in his circumstances, was 
forced to keep a ferry at French Creek, three miles from De- 
mopolis — being accustomed to ferry over passengers himself. 
Often would the American traveller gaze upon his foreign 
countenance, martial air and splendid form, and wonder what 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



393 



order of man it was who conducted him over the swollen chapter 

XLI. 

stream. % At this time, Rooul being in the prime of life, was 
a large, fine looking man. He was firm and irascible in his 
disposition, and was a dangerous competitor in any contro- 
versy in which he might engage. His wife was a handsome 
woman, of the Italian style of beauty. She was a native of 
Naples, and had been Marchioness of Sinabaldi, and maid of 
honor to Queen Caroline, when Murat was king of that coun- 
try. She brought with her to Alabama two children by a 
former husband. In 1824, she left her lonely cabin upon 
French Creek, and followed Colonel Rooul to Mexico, where 
he engaged in the revolution, and fought with his accustomed 
fierceness and impetuosity. At length, once more reaching 
his beloved France, he there for a long time held an honora- 
ble commission in the French army. 

J. J. Cluis, one of the refugees, cultivated a farm near 
Greensboro'. He had been an aid to Marshal Lefebvre, the 
Duke of Rivigo, who was afterwards at the head of the police 
department of Paris. Colonel Cluis was then his secretary. 
At another time, Cluis had the custody of Ferdinand VII., 
King of Spain, while he was imprisoned by Napoleon near 
the Spanish frontiers. Like all the other refugees, he found 
planting the vine and olive a poor business in Alabama, and, 
having become much reduced in fortune, kept a tavern in 
Greensboro'. He died in Mobile not many years since. 

Simon Chaudron, one of the Tombigby settlers, formerly a 
resident of Philadelphia, where his house was a centre of ele- 
gance and wit, was distinguished for his literary attainments. 



394 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter He bad been the editor of the " Abeille Americaine," and 

XLI 

was a poet of considerable reputation. He delivered a eulogy 
upon the life and character of Washington, before the Grand 
Lodge of Philadelphia, which was pronounced a splendid 
effort, both in Europe and in America. He died in Mobile, 
in 1846, at a very advanced age, leaving behind him interest- 
ing works, which were published in France. 

General Count Bertand Clausel had been an officer of 
merit throughout Bonaparte's campaigns. During the Hun- 
dred Days, he commanded at Bordeaux, and making the 
Duchess of Anglouleme prisoner, released her, for some un- 
known cause. The general did not occupy his grant, but 
became a citizen of Mobile in 1821, living on the bay, fur- 
nishing the market with vegetables, and driving the cart him- 
self. Returning to France in 1825, he was subsequently 
made, by Louis Philippe, governor and marshal of Algeria. 

Henry L'Allemand who had been a lieutenant-general, 
commanding the artillery of the imperial guard, was an offi- 
cer of great merit, and a man of high character. He mar- 
ried the niece of Stephen Gerard. General Charles L'Al- 
lemand, his brother, had also been an officer of distinction, in 
France. Filled with daring and ambitious projects, he em- 
ployed the following language, in writing to his brother : " I 
have more ambition than can be gratified by the colony upon 
the Tombigby." This was literally true, for he soon made a 
hazardous expedition to Texas, collecting followers at Phila- 
delphia and in Alabama. Arriving at Galveston island, which 
was shortly afterwards submerged, his people suffered greatly 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



395 



for provisions, and were generously relieved by the pirate, La chapter 

XLI 

Fitte. Annoyed by the Indians, and prostrated by disease, in 
a short time most of the colonists perished, and the establish- 
ment failed. 

The celebrated Marshal Grouchy was one of the Philadel- 
phia associates. He was a man of middle stature, and had 
very little, apparently, of the military about him. Not being 
popular with the refugees, in consequence of his conduct at 
"Waterloo, to which they imputed the loss of that day, he 
became involved in controversies with them in the American 
gazettes. He never came to Alabama, but one of his sons, 
who had been a captain in the French army, settled his grant 
near Demopolis. The marshal afterwards returned to France, 
and enjoyed honors under the Bourbons. 

M. Lackanal, a savant, and member of the academy, at the 
head of the department of public education, under the empe- 
ror, settled on the bay, near Mobile, in 1819. He was one 
of those members of the National Assembly of France, who 
voted for the death of Louis XVI. After a long residence in 
Mobile, he went to France, and there died in 1843. 

Among all the refugees who sought homes in Alabama, 
none had passed through more stirring and brilliant scenes, 
than General Juan Eico, a native of Valencia, in Spain, who 
had been proscribed in that country, upon the return of Fer- 
dinand VII., because he was a republican, and a supporter of 
the constitution of 1812. An eloquent member of the Cortes 
and a distinguished officer of the Spanish army, he resisted 
to the last the invasion of Napoleon. One day, an interesting 

VOL. II. 21 



396 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter scene occurred between General Rico and the elegant Des- 
noettes. Both being* invited to dine at Demopolis, the con- 
versation turned upon the campaigns in Spain, when allusion 
was made to the obstinate and sanguinary siege of Saragossa, 
where one of them had commanded the troops of France, 
and the other those of Spain. They were now assembled at 
a hospitable table, in an humble cottage, in the wilds of Ala- 
bama. They had met before, amid the din of arms, arraying 
their troops against each ■ other, and pouring out rivers of 
blood, at the head of the best trained troops of Europe, who 
had figured in the most eventful times of France and Spain. 
Each had been expelled from his native country, and each had 
been blasted in his ambitious hopes. Nevertheless, good humor 
prevailed in the cabin, and the sorrows of all were drowned 
in wine, amid merry peals of laughter. In 1825, General 
Rico was re-called to Spain, and, arriving there, again became 
a member of the Cortes, under his favorite constitution. He 
met with singular reverses of fortune, was expelled from 
Spain the second time, became an inhabitant of England, and 
was again re-called to assist in the government of his country. 
When he lived in Alabama, he was fifty years of age, and 
was of a dark complexion. He possessed great energy and 
decision of character, and was a most excellent farmer. If 
our limits would permit it, many other interesting persons 
among the French emigrants might be described. 

The principal portion of the French grant lay in Marengo 
county. This name was proposed by Judge Lipscomb, while a 
member of the legislature at St. Stephens, in honor of the great 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 39^ 

battle fought during the French republic. It also extended chapter 
into the county of Greene, embracing some of the best lands 
in the vicinity of Greensboro'. It has been seen that much 
difficulty arose among the French about their respective loca- 
tions, and that three times the} 7 lost their improvements. 
Forced to abandon their settlements in Demopolis, they laid 
off the town of Agleville, and erected cabins, but the drawing 
at Philadelphia not embracing this place, they were once 
more forced to go deeper in the forest. The want of wagons 
and teams, and the great scarcity of water in the cane-brake, 
induced them to dwell on small allotments, while their more 
valuable tracts were unoccupied. Owning no slaves, a num- 
ber of German redemptioners were imported, through the 
enterprise of Desnoettes, but these people proved a burden 
and expense, and also disregarded their obligations. The 
French were less calculated, than any other people upon earth, 
to bring a forest into cultivation. The provisions which they 
raised, were made at the expense of extravagant hire, and 
Desnoettes expended over twenty-rive thousand dollars in 
opening and cultivating his farm. In this manner, the whole 
colony, after a few years, became poor, and many were forced 
to sell their claims to Americans, who soon opened large 
plantations, and made the earth smile with abundant products. 
However, a majority of the French still held on to their grants, 
and, in good faith to the government, entered upon the culti- 
vation of the grape and olive. Importations of plants were 
often made from Bordeaux, but the newness of the land, and 
the ignorance of the colony in regard to their cultivation, 



398 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter were among the reasons why the experiment failed. The im- 

XLI 

portations frequently arrived out of season, when the vines 
withered away and the olive seeds became defective. At 
length, with difficulty, grapes were grown, but they failed to 
produce even a tolerable wine, because the fruit ripened in 
the heat of summer. Before the vinous fermentation was 
completed, the acetic had commenced. In 1821, the French 
planted three hundred and eighty-three olive trees upon the 
grant, and a large number in 1824. Every winter the frosts 
killed them down to the ground, but new shoots, putting up, 
were again killed by the succeeding winter. The usual mode 
of planting the grape, was at the distance of ten feet in one 
direction, and twenty in the other. They were trained to 
stakes, and cultivated with cotton. 

In addition to the ruinous failure of the vine and olive, the 
French were continually annoyed by unprincipled American 
squatters. Occupying their lands, without a shadow of title, 
they insultingly told the French that they intended to main- 
tain their footing at all hazards. Several law-suits arose, and 
although our Supreme Court decided in favor of the grantees, 
yet the latter became worn out with controversies, and allowed 
the intruders, in many cases, to retain possession for a small 
remuneration. On the other hand, many honorable Ameri- 
cans purchased their grants, for fair considerations, and thus 
the French refugees were gradually rooted from the soil. 

But, in the midst of all their trials and vicissitudes, the 
French refugees were happy. Immured in the depths of the 
Tombigby forest, where, for several years, want pressed them 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 399 

on all sides, — cut off from their friends in France, — surround- chapter 

XLI 

ed by the Choctaws on one side, and the unprincipled squatters 
and land-thieves on the other — assailed by the venom of insects 
and prostrating fevers — nevertheless, their native gaiety pre- 
vailed. Being in the habit of much social intercourse, their 
evenings were spent in conversation, music and dancing. The 
larger portion were well educated, while all had seen much of 
the world, and such materials were ample to afford an ele- 
vated society. Sometimes their distant friends sent them rich 
wines and other luxuries, and upon such occasions, parties 
were given, and the foreign delicacies brought back many in- 
teresting associations. Well cultivated gardens, and the 
abundance of wild game, rendered the common living of the 
French quite respectable. The female circle was highly inter- 
esting. They had brought with them their books, guitars, ' 
silks, parasols and ribbons, and the village, in which most of 
them dwelt, resembled, at night, a miniature French town. 
And then, farther in the forest, others lived, the imprints of 
whose beautiful Parisian shoes on the wild prairie, occasionally 
arrested the glance of a solitary traveller. And then, again, 
when the old imperial heroes talked of their emperor, their 
hearts warmed with sympathy, their eyes kindled with enthu- 
siasm, and tears stole down their furrowed cheeks.* 

* Conversations with George N. Stewart, Esq., of Mobile, who was 
the secretary of the French Vine Company ; also, conversations with 
Mr. Amancl Pfister, of Montgomery, whose father was one of the 
French grantees. 



400 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



CHAPTER XLIL 

LAST TERRITORIAL LEGISLATURE— STATE 
CONVENTION. 

chapter The second session of the Legislature of the Territory of 
XLI1, Alabama convened at St. Stephens, in the fall of 1818. 
John W. Walker was Speaker of the House, and James Titus 
President of the Legislative Council. Among other acts, two 
new counties were formed — St. Clair, with the courts to be 
held at the house of Alexander Brown, and Autauga, with 
the courts to be held at Jackson's Mills, on Autauga Creek. 
The territory of the latter county was formerly attached to 
that of Montgomery. These new counties were added to the 
Middle Judicial District. 

The Bank of Mobile, with a charter extending to 1st Jan., 
1839, and with a capital stock of five hundred thousand dol- 
lars, was established. The banks at St. Stephens and Hunts- 
ville were empowered to increase their capital stock, by selling 
shares at auction. The profits, to the extent of ten per cent., 
were to be divided among the stockholders, and, if there 
proved to be an excess, it was to be applied to the support of 
Green Academy, in Madison county, and the academy at St. 
Stephens. 



1818 
Fall 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 4Q1 



Governor Bibb was constituted sole commissioner, to lay off chapter 

XLH 

the seat of government, at the confluence of the Cahawba 
and Alabama. He was required to have the town surveyed, 
expose maps of the same at public places, and give ninety 
days notice of sale, out of the proceeds of which he was to 
contract for the building of a temporary capitol. About 
the last of November, the legislature adjourned, having deter- 
mined to hold the next session at Huntsville#* 

The Territory of Alabama increased in population to such 

1819 

an extent, that Congress authorized the people to form a March 2 
State constitution. 

The following persons were elected members of the con- 
vention : 

From the county of Madison — Clement C. Clay, John 
Leigh Townes, Henry Chambers, Samuel Mead, Henry Minor, 
Gabriel Moore, John W. Walker and John M. Taylor. 

Monroe — John Murphy, John Watkins, James Pickens 
and Thomas Wiggins. 

Blount — Isaac Brown, John Brown and Gabriel Hanby. 

Limestone — Thomas Bibb, Beverly Hughes and Nicholas 
Davis. 

Shelby — George Philips and Thomas A. Rodgers. 

Montgomery — John D. Bibb and James W. Armstrong. 

Washington — Israel Pickens and Henry Hitchcock 

Tuscaloosa— Marmaditke Williams and John L. Tindal. 

Lawrence — Arthur F. Hopkins and Daniel Wright. 

* State Archives. 
21* 



402 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter Franklin— Richard Ellis and "William Metcalf. 

XLII 

Cotaco — Melkijah Vaughan and Thomas D. Crabb. 

Clarke — Reuben Saffold and James McGoffin. 

Cahawba — Littlepage Sims. 

Conecuh — Samuel Cook. 

Dallas — William R. King. 

Mareng o — Washington Thompson. 

Marion — John D. Terrell. 

Lauderdale — Hugh McVay. 

St. Clair — David Conner. 

Autauga — James Jackson. 

Baldwin — Harry Tonlmin. 

Mobile — S. H. Garrow. 

These members convened at Huntsville, on the 5th July, 
1819. John W. Walker was chosen to preside over the 
convention, and John Campbell was elected its secretary. 

Being about to introduce biographical notices of some of 
these members,* we begin with the following well-written 
sketch, prepared by a college companion and intimate friend 
of the distinguished person of whom he writes.f 

" John W. Walker was born in Virginia, and, while yet a 

* I regret to have occasion to observe that my application to the 
friends of many of the members of this convention, for information in 
relation to their birth, early life, and political career, has not been re- 
sponded to, and hence I have been unable to embody in this work any 
notice of them. 

\ From the pen of Richard Henry Wilde, formerly of Georgia, but 
afterwards of New-Orle in , and now deceased. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



403 



child, accompanied his father, the Reverend Jeremiah Walker, chapter 

XLII 

who emigrated to Elbert county, Georgia. His preceptor in 
the rudiments of education was the Reverend Moses Waddel, 
long accustomed, with an honest pride, to enumerate among 
his pupils many of the most celebrated jurists and statesmen 
of the South. He graduated, with distinguished honor, at 
Princeton, preserving, during his collegiate course, an untar- 
nished moral character, and acquiring, along with the repu- 
tation of an excellent scholar, a high relish for polite litera- 
ture, which he ever afterwards retained. On leaving college, 
he applied himself to the study of the law, and, although 
more than once interrupted by illness, his quick and keen 
perception of the right and just, and the extent and variety 
of his previous attainments, speedily ensured him clear and 
comprehensive views of a science not always enjoyed by 
more laborious, but less sagacious, students. Seeking the 
temple, as a worshipper in spirit and in truth, who regarded 
jurisprudence, not as a craft or mystery, but the noblest of 
sciences, he thus insured his future superiority over practi- 
tioners who treat their profession as an art, and its principles 
as a mere collection of rules and codes. 

"In 1810, Mr. Walker, then a resident of Petersburg, 
Georgia, married Matilda, the daughter of LeRoy Pope, Esq., 
of the same village, and removed with his father-in-law, and 
several of his neighbors, to Alabama, then a territory, where 
they became the first settlers of Madison county, and founded 
the now flourishing town of Huntsville. Here he began the 
practice of his profession, soon rose to eminence, and was 



404 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



CHAPTER 
XLII. 



repeatedly chosen a member of the Territorial legislature. 
In 1819, he declined the office of district judge, tendered him 
by President Monroe, and, in the same year, was chosen to 
preside over the convention which formed the constitution of 
the State, an instrument indebted to him for many of its best 
provisions. 

"Immediately after its adoption, and the admission of Ala- 
bama into the Union, he was elected an United States Sena- 
tor, an office which he held until 1823, when ill health com- 
pelled him to retire ; and, on the 23d of April, of that year, 
he passed away from life, leaving behind him the memory of 
no fault, and the enmity of no human being. 

" In person, Mr. Walker was tall, his figure slender but 
well formed, and his manners and address mild, graceful and 
prepossessing. He had blue eyes, brown hair, a fine com- 
plexion, handsome features, and a countenance whose expres- 
sion, habitually pensive, kindled into animation, with every 
lofty thought and generous feeling. Even to a stranger, his 
appearance was highly engaging and attractive, while those 
who enjoyed his familiar conversation were charmed with the 
sweet, low tones of his colloquial eloquence, the intellectual 
music of a pure heart, a sound mind, a rich memory, and 
brilliant imagination. Surrounded by friends who loved and 
honored, or in the bosom of a family who idolized him, how 
often hours vanished unconsciously, in conversation, grave 
and gay, in the inexhaustible topics of art, science, literature, 
government and morals, to all of which his perfect urbanity, 
extensive reading, the refinement of his taste, and the delicacy 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



405 



of his feelings, gave interest and novelty. His letters, many chapter 
of which have been preserved by the writer, with reverential 
care, are models of the familiar epistolary style, correct and 
sparkling, yet free, cordial and unstudied— true to the feeling 
of the moment, and passing from the whimsical and excur- 
sive playfulness of Sterne, to the pathos of McKenzie, with 
all the graceful negligence of Byron or slip-shod gossip of 
Walpole. 

" Before the higher aims or heavier burdens of life came 
upon him, he was, like most other men of genius, a rhymer, and 
the few specimens of his verse, which had currency in the 
circles of his love and friendship, were prized, not unreasona- 
bly, as jewels, by their possessors. 

"Mr. Walker's literary attainments, far from impairing, 
increased his efficiency as a jurist and orator. Many, it is 
true, believe that belles-lettres scholarship is usually an im- 
pediment to forensic eloquence; but the examples of Mans- 
field and Blackstone, Story and Legaiv, stamp this as a vul- 
gar error. The prejudices of ignorance and envy may, indeed, 
retard the success of the more thoroughbred and highly 
educated; but, in this case, as in every other, where industry 
and good sense are not wanting, all learning is useful, as well 
as ornamental, and ultimately tends to form the character of 
a perfect advocate. As might naturally be expected, there- 
fore, Mr. Walker's contemporaries at the bar speak of his 
professional skill and knowledge with the highest praise, and 
assigned to him the palm, for persuasive eloquence, readiness 
of resource, and gentlemanly bearino-. 



40(3 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter " In the Senate, he was mainly instrumental in producing 



XLII. 



the passage of the first law for the relief of purchasers of the 
public lands, emphatically a bill of peace, which, while it 
saved the new State of Alabama from bankruptcy, preserved 
their affections to the Union, and led to the abolition of the 
credit system, thus preventing future evils. 

" To this new theatre of usefulness and honor, Mr. Walker 
brought all the modest worth and unalloyed patriotism of 
Lowndes, with much of the easy and graceful manner of 
Forsyth, and, to his career as a statesman, only a longer life 
was wanting. But time, as it has been beautifully observed, 
is the indispensable ally of genius, in its struggle for immor- 
tality, and, though death may have shut the gate on other 
aspirants as highly gifted, it has never closed on one more 
fondly loved or more deeply mourned." 

Arthur Frances Hopkins was born near Danville, in the 
State of Virginia. He was a descendant of Arthur Hopkins, 
an Englishman, and a physician of very high standing, who 
settled, in the early part of the eighteenth century, in the 
colony of Virginia. His grandmother was a Miss Jefferson, 
a relative of the President of that name. His father, James 
Hopkins, was in the severe battle of Guilford Court House, 
a volunteer soldier of the United States, at the age of fifteen, 
and died at his residence, in Pittsylvania county, Virginia, in 
1844. 

In the pursuit of an education, Arthur Frances Hopkins 
studied in an academy at New London, in Virginia, in an- 
other at Caswell Court House, North-Carolina, and at the 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 4Q7 

University at Chapel Hill. He received his law education in chapter 

XLII 

the office of the Honorable William Leigh, of Halifax county, 
Virginia, who was a distinguished jurist, and the brother of 
the celebrated Benjamin Watkins Leigh. In December, 
1816, Mr. Hopkins, at the age of twenty-two, settled in the 
town of Huntsville, Alabama. Owning a plantation near 
Huntsville, and the price of cotton then being very high, and 
the practice of law in the valley of the Tennessee river worth 
but little, he relinquished his business at the bar, in the spring 
of 1818. In January, 1819, he moved to the county of Law- 
rence, was elected a member of the convention in May, of 
that year, and took his seat in that body, as we have seen. 
The people of Lawrence elected him to the State Senate, in 
August, 1822. He immediately ranked with the most ta- 
lented and influential men, and endeavored, with all his 
ability and ingenuity, to dissuade the legislature from enacting 
a measure which, it is believed by many, has inflicted much 
evil. We allude to the establishment of the State Bank. 
His speeches, upon that occasion, were powerful efforts against 
the system of connecting bank and state, and the evils which 
he predicted have been, as many believe, most sensibly real- 
ized. His views were overruled by the legislature, only thir- 
teen of the entire body, among whom were the Honorable 
Joshua L. Martin, afterwards Governor of Alabama, James 
Jackson, of Lauderdale, and Nicholas Davis, of Limestone, 
concurring with him. The opposition of Mr. Hopkins to the 
State Bank, which was called the People's Bank, diminished 
materially his popularity, which was shortly afterwards im- 



4Qg THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter paired still more, by his opposition to the election of General 



XLII. 



Jackson to the office of President of the United States. He 
preferred Henry Clay to all other men, and supported him 
whenever he was a candidate for the Presidency. He voted 
for Judge White, in 1836, and for General Harrison, in 1840, 
again for Henry Clay, and, lastly, for General Taylor ; but, as 
he emphatically said to us, one day, "never for General Jack- 
son." 

In March, 1825, Mr. Hopkins returned to Huntsville, and 
applied himself successfully to the profession of the law, 
without any interruption, until the summer of 1833, when 
he was returned a member of the legislature, from Madison 
county. The most exciting measure before the legislature 
was the " Creek Controversy," then waging between the 
national administration and Governor John Gayle. Although 
personally friendly to the governor, and opposed to General 
Jackson, the conviction of his judgment led Mr. Hopkins to 
take the side of the administration, and, in support of his 
views, he delivered in the house a speech of power and re- 
search, which was published and widely distributed, giving 
him great reputation as a constitutional lawyer and statesman. 
Since the close of the session of 1833 and 1834, he has not 
been a representative of the people of this State. In Janua- 
ry, 1836, he was elected, by the legislature, one of the judges 
of the Supreme Court, without opposition, and at the solici- 
tation of both political parties, and, in 1837, he was appoint- 
ed, by his associates on the bench, Chief Justice of Alabama. 
In December, 1836, the whig members of the legislature did 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 4Q9 



him the honor to vote for him, as a Senator in Congress, chapter 
against the Honorable John McKinley. They conferred upon 
him the same unsolicited honor, in January, 1844, when Mr. 
Lewis was elected a Senator of the United States. In June, 
1837, .Judge Hopkins resigned his seat upon the bench, re- 
turned to Huntsville, engaged in the practice of the law, and 
was soon tendered by Mr. Van Buren the office of commis- 
sioner, with others, under a late treaty with the Cherokees, 
which he declined. During the Presidential canvass of 1840, 
Judge Hopkins was one of the whig electors, and addressed 
many public meetings, in North Alabama. At the Baltimore 
whig convention, in May, 1844, he presided as chairman, 
until the convention was fully organized, and, during that 
summer, he often addressed the people of Alabama, to induce 
them to vote for Mr. Clay, for the Presidency. Judge Hop- 
kins appears to have always been a great favorite with the 
whig party, for they ran him upon a two day's ballot, when 
William P.King and Dixon II. Lewis were candidates for 
the United States Senate, during the first session of the legis- 
lature, held at Montgomery, and again, in the winter of 1849 
and 1850, he was balloted fur against Colonel King, to fill the 
vacancy which occurred in the Senate, and, when the latter 
succeeded over him, the whig party immediately ran him for 
the other vacancy in the Senate, against our excellent and 
much-admired friend, Governor Fitzpatrick. But the whigs, 
being in a minority, have never been able to place him in the 
United States Senate. 

Judge Hopkins lives in Mobile, where he is regarded as a 



410 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter lawyer of ability, and as a gentleman of honor, benevolence 
and refinement. In person, he is compactly made, and rather 
large. He has an agreeable countenance, and is pleasant and 
affable in his manners. 

William Rufus King is a native of North-Carolina. He 
was born on the 7th April, 1786. His father, William King, 
was a planter, in independent circumstances, whose ancestors 
came from the north of Ireland, and were among the early 
settlers on James river, in the colony of Virginia. He was 
highly esteemed for his many virtues, and was elected a 
member of the State convention which adopted the Federal 
constitution. The mother of Mr. King was descended from 
a Huguenot family, which had been driven from France by 
the revocation of the edict of Nantz. 

William Rufus King received his education at the Univer- 
sity of North-Carolina, to which he was sent at the early age 
of twelve years. On leaving that institution, where his atten- 
tion to his studies, and uniformly correct and gentlemanly 
deportment, had commanded the respect and regard of his 
fellows, and the approbation of the professors, he entered the 
law office of William Duffy, a distinguished lawyer, residing 
in the town of Fayetteville, North-Carolina, and, in the au- 
tumn of 1805, obtained a license to practice in the superior 
courts of the State. In 1806, he was elected a member of 
the legislature of the State, from the county of Sampson, in 
which he was born. He was again elected, the year follow- 
ing, but, on the meeting of the legislature, he was chosen 
solicitor by that body, and resigned his seat. Colonel King 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 4^ 

continued in the practice of his profession, until he was elected chapter 

XLII 

a member of Congress, from the Wilmington district, which 
took place in August, 1810, when he was but little more than 
twenty-four years of age ; but, as his predecessor's term did 
not expire before the 4th March, 1811, Colonel King did not 
take his seat in the Congress of the United States until the 
autumn of that year, being the first session of the twelfth • 

Congress. This was a most important period in the history 
of the country. The governments of England and France 
had, for years, rivalled each other in acts destructive of the 
neutral rights, and ruinous to the commerce of the United 
States. Every effort had been made, but in vain, to procure 
an abandonment of orders in councils, on the one hand, and 
decrees on the other, which had nearly cut up the commerce 
of the country by the roots, and a large majoritj?- of the peo- 
ple felt that, to submit longer to such gross violations of their 
rights, as a neutral nation, would be degrading, and they 
called upon their government to protect those rights, even at 
the hazard of a war. In this state of things, Colonel King 
took his seat in the House of Representatives, and unhesita- 
tingly ranged himself on the side of the bold and patriotic 
spirits in that body, who had determined to repel aggression, 
come from what quarter it might, and to maintain the rights 
and the honor of the country. The withdrawal of the Berlin 
and Milan decrees, by France, while England refused to aban- 
don he: orders in council, put an end to all hesitation as to 
which of those powers should be met in deadly strife. In 
June, 1812, war was declared against England, Mr. King 



412 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter advocating and voting for the declaration. He continued to 
represent his district in Congress during the continuance of 
the war, sustaining, with all his power, every measure deemed 
necessary, to enable the government to prosecute it to a suc- 
cessful termination ; and not until the rights of the country 
were vindicated and secured, and peace restored to the land, 
did he feel at liberty to relinquish the highly responsible 
position in which his confiding constituents had placed him. 
In the spring of 1816, Colonel' King resigned his seat in the 
House of Representatives, and accompanied William Pinckney, 
of Maryland, as Secretary of Legation, first to Naples and 
then to St. Petersburg, to which Courts Mr. Pinckney had been 
appointed Minister Plenipotentiary. Colonel King remained 
abroad not quite two years, having, in that time, visited the 
greater portion of Europe, making himself acquainted with 
the institutions of the various governments and the condition 
of their people. On his return to the United States, he 
determined to move to the Territory of Alabama, which 
determination he carried into effect in the winter of 1818-19, 
and fixed his residence in the county of Dallas, where he still 
resides. A few months after Colonel King arrived in the 
Territory, Congress having authorized the people to form a 
constitution and establish a State government, he was elected 
a member of the convention. Colonel King was an active, 
talented and influential member of that body, was placed on 
the committee appointed to draft a constitution, and was also 
selected by the general committee, together with Judge Tay- 
lor, now of the State of Mississippi, and Judge Henry Hitch- 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 413 

cock, now no more, to reduce it to form, in accordance with chapter 
the principles and provisions previously agreed on. This 
duty they performed in a manner satisfactory to the commit- 
tee. The constitution, thus prepared, was submitted to the 
convention, and adopted, with but slight alterations. 

On the adjournment of the convention, Colonel King re- 
turned to his former residence, in North-Carolina, where most 
of his property still was, and, having made his arrangements 
for its removal, set out on his return to Alabama. On reach- 
ing Milledgeville, in the State of Georgia, he received a letter 
from Governor Bibb, of Alabama, informing him that he had 
been elected a Senator in the Congress of the United States, 
and that the certificate of his election had been transmitted 
to the city of Washington. This was the first intimation 
which Colonel King had that his name even had been presented 
to the legislature, for that high position, and, injuriously as 
it would affect his private interests, in the then condition of 
his affairs, he did not hesitate to accept the honor so unex- 
pectedly conferred upon him, and, leaving his people to pur- 
sue their way to Alabama, he retraced his steps, and reached 
the city of Washington a few days before the meeting of 
Congress. His colleague, the Honorable John W. Walker, 
had arrived before him. 

Alabama was admitted as a State, and her senators, after 
taking the oath to support the constitution of the United 
States, were required to draw for their term of service, when 
Major Walker drew six years and Colonel King four. At 
the time that Alabama became a State of the Union, the 



414 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter indebtedness of her citizens for lands, sold by the United 

XLII 

States, under what was known as the credit system, was 
nearly twelve millions of dollars. It was perfectly apparent 
that this enormous sum could not be paid, and that an at- 
tempt to enforce the payment could only result in ruin to her 
people. Congress became satisfied that the mode heretofore 
adopted, for the disposal of the public domain, was wrong, 
and a law was passed reducing the minimum price from two 
to one dollar and twenty -five cents the acre, with cash pay- 
ments. This change was warmly advocated by our senators, 
Walker and King. 

At the next session, a law was passed, authorizing the pur- 
chasers of public lands, under the credit system, to relinquish 
to the government a portion of their purchase, and to trans- 
fer the amount paid on the part relinquished, so as to make 
complete payment on the part retained. At a subsequent 
session, another law was passed, authorizing the original pur- 
chasers of the lands so relinquished to enter them at a fixed 
rate, much below the price at which they had been originally 
sold. To the exertions of Senators King and Walker, Ala- 
bama is mainly indebted for the passage of these laws, which 
freed her citizens from the heavy debt which threatened to 
overwhelm them with ruin, and also enabled them to secure 
their possessions upon reasonable terms. 

Colonel King was elected a senator in 1823, in 1828, in 
1834, and in 1840. His firm but conciliatory course insured 
for him the respect and confidence of the Senate, and he was 
repeatedly chosen to preside over that body, as president, pro 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



415 



tern., the duties of which position he discharged in a manner chapter 
so satisfactory, that, at the close of each session, a resolution 
was adopted, without a dissenting voice, tendering him the 
thanks of the body for the ability and impartiality with which 
he had discharged those duties. In the spring of 1844, 
Colonel King was offered the situation of Minister to France, 
which he declined, as he had, on previous occasions, refused 
to accept other diplomatic situations, which had been tendered 
to him, preferring, as he declared, to be a Senator from Ala- 
bama to any office which could be conferred on him by the 
General Government. At this time, the proposition for the 
annexation of Texas was pending, and there was but too much 
reason to believe that the British government was urging that 
of France to unite with her in a protest against such annexa- 
tion. It was, therefore, of the highest importance to prevent, 
if possible, such joint protest, as, should it be made, must 
have inevitably resulted in producing hostilities with one or both 
of these powers ; for no one, for a moment, believed that the gov- 
ernment of the United States would be deterred from carrying 
out a measure which she considered essential to her interests, 
from any apprehension of consequences which might result from 
any combination of the powers of Europe. Colonel King- 
was a decided advocate of the annexation of Texas, and, 
when urged by the President, and many of his friends in 
Congress, to accept the mission, he consented, under these 
circumstances, to give up his seat in the Senate. Colonel 
King, feeling the importance of prompt action, did not even 
return to his home, to arrange his private affairs, but repaired 
vol. it. 22 



415 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter a t once to New- York, and took passage for Havre. Arriving 

XLII 

in Paris, he obtained an audience of the King, presented his 
credentials, and at once entered upon the object of his mis- 
sion. After frequent conferences with the King of the French, 
who had kindly consented that he might discuss the subject 
with him, without going through the usual routine of com- 
municating through the foreign office, Colonel King succeeded 
in convincing his majesty that the contemplated protest, while 
it would not arrest the proposed annexation, would engender 
on the minds of the American people a feeling of hostility 
towards France, which would operate most injuriously to the 
interests of both countries, now united by the closest bonds 
of friendship ; and his majesty, ultimately, declared that " he 
would do nothing hostile to the United States, or which could 
give to her just cause of offence." The desired object was ac- 
complished. England was not in a condition to act alone, and 
all idea of a protest was abandoned. Colonel King remained 
in France until the autumn of 1846, dispensing a liberal hos- 
pitality to his countrymen and others, and receiving from 
those connected with the government, and a large circle of 
the most distinguished individuals in Paris, the kindest atten- 
tion. He returned to the United States in November, 1846, 
having requested and obtained the permission of the Presi- 
dent to resign his office. 

In 1848, the Hon. Arthur P. Bagby was appointed Minister 
Plenipotentiary to Russia, and resigned his seat in the Senate of 
the United States. Colonel King was appointed, by the Gov- 
ernor of Alabama, to fill the vacancy thus created ; and, in 1849, 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



417. 



the term for which he was appointed having expired, he was chapter 
elected by the legislature for a full term, of six years. In 1850, 
on the deaXh of Gen. Taylor, the President of the United States, 
Mr. Fillmore, the Vice-President, succeeded to that high office, 
and Colonel King was chosen, by the unanimous vote of the 
Senate, President of that body, which places him in the se- 
cond highest office in the government. Colonel King has 
ever been a decided republican, of the Jeffersonian school. 
He has, during his whole political life, opposed the exercise 
of implied powers on the part of the General Government, 
unless palpably and plainly necessary, to carry into effect an 
expressly granted power, firmly impressed with the belief, as 
he has often declared, that the security and harmony, if not 
the very existence of the Federal Government, was involved 
in adhering to a strict construction of the constitution. 

In all the relations of life, Colonel King has maintained a 
spotless reputation ; his frank and confiding disposition, his 
uniform courtesy and kindness, has endeared him to nume- 
rous friends, and commanded for him the respect and confi- 
dence of all who have had the pleasure of his acquaintance. 

Colonel King is about six feet high, remarkably erect in 
figure, and is well proportioned. Brave and chivalrous in 
his character, his whole bearing impresses even strangers with 
the conviction that they are in the presence of a finished gen- 
tleman. His fine colloquial powers, and the varied and ex- 
tensive information which he possesses, render him a most 
interesting companion. 



418 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter Clement Comer Clay was born in Halifax county, Virgi- 

XLII 

nia, on the lYth December, 1789. His father, William Clay, 
son of James Clay, and his mother, Rebecca, daughter of 
Samuel Comer, were Virginians by birth, and of English 
descent. His father, William Clay, entered the revolutionary 
army as a private soldier, at the early age of sixteen, and 
made several tours. He was in various engagements, and 
was present at the siege of Yorktown and the surrender of 
Cornwallis. At an early age, his father removed west of the 
Alleghanies, to Grainger county, East Tennessee. 

Clement Comer Clay completed his education at the East 
Tennessee University, at Knoxville. Leaving college, he read 
law with the Honorable Hugh Lawson White, and obtained 
a license in December, 1809. He remained in East Tennes- 
see until 1811, when he removed to Hunts ville, where he has 
resided ever since. With a determined self-reliance, he pur- 
sued the practice of his profession steadily, and with gradually 
increasing profit, until the spring of 181 V, taking no other 
interest in political matters than such as might be expected 
in any intelligent private citizen. When hostilities were 
commenced by the Creeks, in 1813, he performed military 
duty, as adjutant of a battalion of volunteers, called into 
service from Madison county ; but he had volunteered, as a 
private soldier, in one of the companies of that battalion. 
This battalion never joined the army of General Jackson, in the 
Creek nation, but, under his orders, was kept on the frontier,. 
south of Tennessee river, to watch the enemy, and repel any 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 4^9 

advance which might be made. In the spring of 1817, the chapter 

XLII 

friends of Mr. Clay announced him as a candidate for the 
Territorial council, and he was elected, by more than two hun- 
dred votes above the next highest candidate who was re- 
turned. He went to St. Stephens, and discharged his duties 
during the two sessions held at that place, in a manner cred- 
itable to himself and useful to his constituents and the Terri- 
tory. His absence, however, seriously interrupted a lucrative 
practice at the bar, and deprived him of the favorable oppor- 
tunity of purchasing a valuable tract of land, near Huntsville, 
as a permanent home. When the convention was organized 
at Huntsville, Mr. Clay appeared, as one of the delegates 
from the county of Madison. An active and assiduous mem- 
ber, to its close, he was appointed chairman of the committee 
of fifteen, to prepare and report a plan of government; and, 
in that capacity, brought forward a paper, containing the 
main features of the constitution, as it was originally adopted. 
When the convention terminated, he resolved to devote him- 
self exclusively to the practice of his profession and to plant- 
ing ; but in December, 1819, before he had completed his 
thirtieth year, he was elected, without opposition, one of the 
judges of the circuit court. When the judges assembled at 
Cahawba, in May, 1820, although he was several years young- 
er than any other one on the bench, he was elected by his 
associates the first chief justice of the State of Alabama. As 
judge, he served more than four years, when he resigned, in 
December, 1823, to resume the practice of his profession. 
On his return to the bar, Judge Clay re-entered upon the 



420 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter practice of his profession, with his accustomed assiduity, ener- 
gy and talents, and immediately obtained a highly lucrative 
business. But, in 1828, he was elected to the legislature, by 
the people of Madison, to advance their interests in the grant 
of four hundred thousand acres of land, made by Congress, 
for the improvement of the navigation of the Tennessee river. 
On his arrival at Tuscaloosa, then the seat of government, he 
was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, without 
opposition. He performed the high and responsible duties of 
that post, during the unusually long and exciting session of 
1828-9, in a manner very satisfactory to the house. He 
participated in the debates upon the most important ques- 
tions, and earned a reputation as an able legislator. Upon 
his return to Huntsville, his friends placed him in nomination 
for Congress. Captain Nicholas Davis, who had been a 
member of the Senate, and its president, was his opponent. 
The canvass was a most exciting one. Each candidate had 
numerous, active and influential friends. The district then 
consisted of the counties of Madison, Jackson, Limestone, 
Lauderdale and Lawrence. In Jackson, and the eastern part 
of Madison, the public lands had never been offered for sale, 
and the great question was, whether the right of pre-emption 
should be given to the pioneers. The government of the 
United States had sold all the lands in the other counties of 
the district in 1818-19-20, under the credit system, which 
then prevailed, at such enormous prices, as, under the change 
brought about by the reduced price of cotton, rendered many 
unable, and nearly all the original purchasers unwilling, to 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 421 



pay for them. Consequently, nearly all the lands in those chapter 

XLII 

counties had been relinquished or forfeited, including, in many 
instances, the dwelling-houses, gin-houses and other improve- 
ments, and the question was, whether adequate relief should 
be obtained for the former purchasers, and those holding 
under them. Judge Clay and Captain Davis were both 
advocates of pre-emption rights, to the settlers on public 
lands, and relief to the unfortunate purchasers, who had 
relinquished or forfeited. Judge Clay, the successful can- 
didate, took his seat in Congress in December, 1829, and 
devoted his best energies to the accomplishment of those 
great measures. He succeeded to his entire satisfaction, and 
the journals of Congress show the labor and talent which he 
employed, in aiding in the passage of the "relief laws." 
On his return home, he was everywhere greeted with expres- 
sions of praise and gratitude. 

The tariff was one of the exciting questions then agitating 
the national councils. Judge Clay took the ground he has 
ever occupied, in favor of a revenue tariff and ad valorem 
duties, and delivered in Congress a creditable speech upon 
that subject. In another speech, he sustained General Jack- 
son's policy and measures, in opposition to the Bank of the 
United States, and the removal of the deposites. He agreed 
with the administration, in the main, in regard to the tariff, 
and disapproved of the course taken by South-Carolina to 
nullify the tariff laws, yet he could not be induced to vote for 
the " force bill," as it was familiarly called. His regard for 
the sovereignty and rights of the States was such that he 
22* 



422 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter would not consent to give the Federal Executive additional 

XLII 

power against any member of the confederacy, however much 
he condemned her action. Judge Clay's course in Congress 
was such that he never incurred opposition to his several re- 
elections, and in 1835 he was nominated as the democratic 
candidate for governor. At that time, Judge White was 
placed in nomination by his friends, as a candidate for the pre- 
sidency, in opposition to Van Buren. Although Judge Clay's 
personal preferences were in favor of the claims of the former, 
and he would have preferred him, as the nominee, he would 
not consent to divide the democratic party, to which he be- 
belonged, and, therefore, he gave his support to Van Buren. 
This brought out opposition to him, in the person of General 
Enoch Parsons, but Judge Clay was elected governor, in Au- 
gust, 1835, by the largest majority ever given any candidate 
for that office in the State, being upwards of thirteen thou- 
sand votes. He was inaugurated as governor, in November, 
1835. 

Governor Clay has been charged with inactivity and neg- 
lect of duty, during the Creek war, in the spring of 1836. 
If we were writing a history of those times, we could vindi- 
cate him in a most successful manner, for we were then 
attached to the executive staff, and well remember what tran- 
spired. We cannot, however, refrain from remarking, that 
no man ever labored more assiduously to bring into the field 
a force sufficient to subdue the hostile Indians, and no one 
ever evinced more willingness to afford relief to his fellow- 
citizens in the Creek nation, or felt for them more anxiety. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



423 



As soon as he learned, at Tuscaloosa, the alarming condition chapter 
of the settlers in the Creek nation, he addressed an order to 
Major General Benjamin Patteson, directing him to bring 
down a force from North Alabama, to hasten to the seat of 
war, and to assume the immediate command of all the Ala- 
bama troops, intended to be employed against the hostiles. 
At the same time, he addressed a letter to the command- 
ant of the United States arsenal, at Mount Vernon, making a 
requisition upon him for arms, munitions and tent equipage, 
directing them to be shipped forthwith to Montgomeiy. At 
the same time, he also issued an order to Brigadier-General 
Moore, of the Mobile division, ordering him to send troops 
to Eufanla, upon the Chattahoochie. He then took a seat in 
the stage-coach, arrived at Montgomeiy, and temporarily 
established his head-quarters at that place. It was during a 
period when provisions of all kinds were scarce and exorbi- 
tantly high, — when the whole country had run mad with 
speculations, — and when even the elements were in commo- 
tion — tornadoes prostrating trees across the highways, and 
heavy rains swelling every stream and sweeping off every 
bridge. Yet, in spite of these things, he assembled a large 
force from North Alabama, from West Alabama, and from 
South Alabama. He caused a great quantity of arms, tent 
equipage and ammunition, to be brought up the river from 
the arsenal at Mount Vernon. He made the most judicious 
arrangements with highly responsible contractors, who sent 
forward from New-Orleans and Mobile an abundance of sub- 
sistence for the army. To meet some pressing necessities, he 



424 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter so id hi s own bill of exchange to the Bank of Montgomery 

XLII 

for the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. He exerted 
himself, in gaining over to our side many of the prominent 
Chiefs. Opothleoholo and eleven principal Chiefs came down 
to Montgomery, b}^ his invitation, to whom he made an inge- 
nious appeal, in the ball-room of the Montgomery Hall, in 
the presence of Colonel James E. Belser, Colonel John A. 
Campbell, Colonel George W. Gayle, and the author — who 
were his aids — and General Patteson, with his staff, among 
whom were Major J. J. Donegan, Major Withers, and others, 
who, at this moment, are not recollected. Opothleoholo re- 
sponded in a " talk" of an hour's length. He concluded, by 
tendering to Governor Clay his services, and those of his 
people. 

In short, an army of near three thousand men was organ- 
ized, who reached the Creek nation by the time that General 
Jessup, who had been sent by the Federal Government to 
assume the command, arrived there. 

In June, 1837, Governor Clay was elected to the United 
States Senate, without opposition, and shortly afterwards re- 
signed the gubernatorial office. He took his seat in the. Sen- 
ate in September, 1837, (an extra session,) and served the 
four succeeding regular sessions, and the extra session of 1841. 
The journals of the Senate contain evidences of his talent and 
industry. In consequence of the ill-health of his family, he 
resigned his seat in the Senate. 

Governor Clay is of medium size. He is erect in figure, 
and walks with elasticity, presenting but few of the marks of 



XLII. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 425 

age. His eyes are of a dark brown color, expressive and chapter 
penetrating, and are ever in motion. Nothing escapes his 
observation ; and while conversing with you, even upon a 
topic highly interesting to him, it is his custom, frequently to 
cast his eyes upon some one who has entered the room, or 
who is passing the streets, and then upon you. He tells an 
anecdote well, and is an agreeable companion. He is a 
brave man, and is exceedingly punctual and honorable in all 
the relations of life. 

Nicholas Davis, a member of the convention, from the 
county of Limestone, will next be noticed. He was born on 
the 23d of April, 1*781, in Hanovor county, Virginia, in a 
region of country familiarly called the " Slashes," where, 
also, the great orator of Kentucky first saw the light. He 
descended from the Davis and Ragland families, whose names 
are preserved in the archives of Virginia, as among the 
earliest settlers of Yorktown. He was educated in the same 
county, and partly in the same school, with Henry Clay. 

Captain Davis never studied any profession, but has been 
all his life a farmer. He removed to Alabama, in March, 
1817, and established himself at "Walnut Grove," in the 
county of Limestone, where he has resided ever since. After 
the termination of the convention, he was elected a member 
of the first legislature of the State of Alabama, which sat 
at Huntsville, in the fall of 1819. In 1820, he was again a 
member, at Cahawba, where the legislature was permanently 
established. The people of Limestone placed him in the 
Senate in 1821, and when he arrived at Cahawba, in the 



426 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter beginning of the winter, lie was selected to preside over that 

XLII 

body. His impartiality, honesty, firmness, talents and effi- 
ciency, caused him to be continued in the office of President 
of the Senate for the period of ten years. 

In the preceding memoir, we have alluded to the Congres- 
sional canvass in which Captain Davis was engaged in the 
summer of 1829. It was exceedingly spirited. Governor 
Clay found him to be a truly honorable and liberal competi- 
tor, but a very formidable one. Every where Captain Davis 
met him upon the stump, and exhibited decided evidences of 
a first-rate popular speaker. At that period, Captain Davis 
was a man in the prime of life, of commanding person, vigo- 
rous constitution, and an honest and generous heart. Posses- 
sing a handsome and expressive countenance, beaming with 
intelligence, and a clear and distinct voice, he might have 
been pointed out as one of the noblest specimens of an intel- 
ligent yeomanry. He was defeated for Congress, as we have 
seen, although every man in the district who voted against 
him was ready to acknowledge that, as a representative, he 
would have been honest, faithful and efficient ; but the early 
opposition which he made to General Jackson, in North Ala- 
bama, has served to build up a barrier to his political success. 

The whig party of Alabama, upon whose list the name of 
Nicholas Davis has ever been among the first and most pro- 
minent, placed him upon the electoral ticket, in the memora- 
ble contest between Van Buren and Harrison. Again, when 
Clay and Polk were candidates for the presidency, Captain 
Davis was one of the whig electors, and frequently addressed 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 42^ 

the people of North Alabama upon that occasion, in a zealous chapter 
and eloquent manner, sometimes imploring them, even with 
tears in his eyes, to vote for the whig candidate ! It was a 
fine theme for this gentleman, which at once brought out all 
his warm and generous feelings, emanating from the recollec- 
tions of his youth, and the unbounded admiration which he 
has ever since entertained for Henry Clay. 

His party supported him for the office of Governor of Alaba- 
ma, against the Honorable John Gayle, but the democratic party 
being greatly in the ascendancy, the latter prevailed over him. 
When the Honorable Reuben Chapman was nominated by 
the democratic convention for governor, the whigs again sup- 
ported Captain Davis for that office, and he was again defeated 
from the same cause. 

As a legislator, Captain Davis was exceedingly sensible 
and useful. He manifested much firmness, in his opposition 
to the State Bank and its branches. He always preferred 
well regulated stock banks. 

Captain Davis is large and well proportioned. His eyes 
are deep blue, very expressive, and indicative of benevolence, 
or much of the " milk of human kindness." He is a man of 
great energy of character, and is remarkable for his physical 
strength and industrious habits. He has ever been a patron 
of the turf. His horses have run at New-Orleans, Nashville, 
Mobile, and through the South generally. He was present 
at the celebrated contest between the horses of Andrew Jack- 
son, of Tennessee, and James Jackson, of North Alabama, at 
Huntsville. 



428 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter Captain Davis still lives at " Walnut Grove," esteemed and 
respected by all classes and all parties. Many refined and 
intelligent gentlemen in Huntsville and its vicinity, and 
other portions of North Alabama, deem it their imperative, 
but most pleasing duty, to pay him two long visits every 
year. Often his large old log-house, which he erected when 
he first came to Alabama, and which he venerates so much 
that he would not exchange it for a palace, contains forty or 
fifty visitors at one time, who, for days together, are enter- 
tained by his agreeable conversation, fed from his abundant 
table, and delighted with the survey of his extensive groves, 
rich fields, happy negroes, fine blooded horses, and sleek and 
well formed cattle. 

Reuben Saffold was born in Wilkes county, Georgia, on 
the 4th September, 1*788. He received such an education as 
was usually imparted at a common academy, where he made 
some proficiency in the Latin language. He studied law 
with Paine, of Watkinsville, Clarke county, Geor- 
gia, and in that place he entered upon the practice of his pro- 
fession. In the spring of 1811, he married Mary Philips, 
daughter of Colonel Joseph Philips, then of Morgan county, 
Georgia, who soon after removed to the southern part of 
Alabama. 

Mr. Saffold, in the spring of 1813, established himself at 
the town of Jackson, situated upon the Tombigby river, then 
in the Mississippi Territory. Soon, thereafter, the Indian war 
broke out, and he at once became actively engaged in the 
protection of a suffering people and an exposed frontier. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 429 

Holding at the time the rank of colonel in the militia, he chapter 

XLII 

nevertheless raised a company of sixty volunteers, and, as 
their captain, scoured the thickets, from the mouth to 
the head of the Perdido river, upon which occasion several 
Indians were killed, while others were driven to the more re- 
mote parts of Florida. But, before he made this tour, he 
had been a participant, as a private, in the battle of Burnt 
Corn, and was one of those who fought bravely, and retreated 
among the last. During these early times, he was also a 
member of the legislature of the Mississippi Territory at 
several sessions. When peace was restored, he entered upon 
the practice of his profession, but, in 1819, he was chosen a 
member of the convention. At the session of the legisla- 
ture of the State of Alabama, held at Hunts ville, in the fall 
of 1819, he was elected, without opposition, one of the cir- 
cuit judges, and in December of that year he removed to the 
residence at which he died, in the county of Dallas. 

Judge Saftbld held the office of circuit judge, under vari- 
ous re-elections, with distinguished ability and honor, until 
January, 1832, when the legislature authorized the organiza- 
tion of a separate Supreme Court. Then, he was elected 
one of the three who were to constitute that court. Upon 
this new theatre of judicial labor, he lost none of the high 
and deserved reputation which he had acquired in the " court 
below." At the January term of 1835, Judge Lipscomb re- 
signed the office of chief justice, and Judge SafTold was 
selected in his place. He occupied this dignified position 
until the spring of 1836, when he resigned it, and bid a final 



430 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

'Chapter adieu to the bench, having held the .office of judge for more 
than sixteen years. The reports of the Supreme Court of 
Alabama are enduring memorials of his strength of mind, 
patient investigation, deep research and profound learning. 
Before the separate organization, the people of the whole 
State had it in their power to scan his acts as a circuit judge. 
They remember him to have been firm and dignified, but not 
austere. Wherever he presided entire order and decorum 
prevailed, and he was respected and admired by both clients 
and attorneys. Such, indeed, was his reputation throughout 
the State, and such was the confidence reposed in him, that 
his retirement from the bench was a source of public regret. 
When Judge Henry Goldthwaite resigned his seat upon the 
bench of the Supreme Court, Governor Fitzpatrick tendered 
the vacancy to Judge Saftbld, who declined it. 

Judge Saffold, a few years after his resignation, resumed 
the practice of the law, and pursued it with distinguished 
success until his death. His political opinions, although he 
never sought political preferment, and engaged but little in 
the exciting contests of the times, were well known. He was 
a democrat. He was warmly devoted to the interests of the 
South. The firm friend of Texian independence, he rejoiced 
in her annexation to the United States. A devoted husband 
and father, it was his fortune to raise a large family, and most 
nobly did he discharge his duty to them. As a master, he 
was kind, merciful and just. He never attached himself to 
any church, yet he was a firm believer in the atonement, and 
was accustomed to express the confident hope that he had 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 432 

nothing to fear beyond the grave. He died of apoplexy on the chapter 

XLII 

15th February, 1847. He was a large man, with an excel- 
lent face, and an exceedingly fine forehead. No man of dis- 
tinction has ever died in Alabama, leaving behind more repu- 
tation for legal ability, and for honor, justice and probity. 

Israel Pickens was born on the 30th January, 1*7 80, in the 
county of Mecklenburg, State of North-Carolina. He was 
the second son of Captain Samuel Pickens, a gentleman of 
French descent, who served his country in the revolutionary 
war, against the British and tories in the two Carolinas. 
Israel Pickens received his academic education partly in 
South- Carolina, but principally at a school in Iredell county, 
North-Carolina, and finished his studies at Washington Col- 
lege, Pennsylvania, where he also completed his law educa- 
tion. He returned to his native State, established himself at 
Morganton in the practice of the law, lived there many years, 
and occasionally represented Burke county in the legislature. 
In 1811, he was elected to Congress from that district, and 
continued to represent it till the year 1817. He gave his vote 
for the war of 1812, and continued a firm supporter of all 
the prominent measures of President Madison's administra- 
tion. Mr. Pickens removed to Alabama in 1817, and set- 
tled at St. Stephens, where he practiced law, and held the 
post of Register of the Land Office. 

After the death of Governor Bibb, Mr. Pickens was elected 
as his successor, in 1821, and again in 1823 ; filling up the 
period allotted to him by the constitution. Very soon after 
the expiration of his last term as governor, a vacancy occurred 



432 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter in the Senate of the United States, by the death of Dr. Cham- 

XLII 

bers, and Governor Pickens was appointed by the executive to 
fill it. A few days after his departure to Washington city, a 
letter was received at Greensboro', conveying a commission for 
him as District Judge of the United States, for Alabama, 
which he declined to accept. In the fall of 1826, he resigned 
his seat in the Senate, and returned home, in consequence of 
a serious affection of the lungs. He died in the Island of 
Cuba, on the 24th April, 1827, at the early age of forty-seven 
years. 

Governor Pickens was six feet high, very slender and erect, 
with a fair complexion and blue eyes. In all the attributes of 
a moral nature, he was, indeed, a remarkable man. His 
maimers were easy, affable and kind — his temper mild, amia- 
ble, and always the same. Benevolence was a predominant 
trait in his character. He had a finished education, and tal- 
ents of a high order — more solid than brilliant. As a public 
man, he was very popular, and, although mild and gentle in 
his deportment, no one was firmer in the discharge of his 
public duties. He possessed extraordinary mechanical inge- 
nuity, and a great fondness for mathematics, natural philoso- 
phy and astronomy. While a student under Dr. Hale, of 
North-Carolina, he invented the lunar dial, by which the 
time of night could be ascertained by the moon. While a 
member of Congress, the celebrated Reidheifer pretended to 
have discovered the perpetual motion, and exhibited a model 
in Washington city, to the inspection of which he invited the 
members of Congress. Mr. Pickens, with many others, at- 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



433 



tended and witnessed its performance; and being satisfied (Chapter 
that there was deception in the matter, he returned the next 
day and gave it a more thorough examination. Finding the 
doors open he entered, but there was no one within. During 
this second visit, he detected the fraud and exposed it, by 
inserting a card in the National Intelligencer, signed " A 
Member of Congress." This brought forth a bitter reply 
from the impostor, and a rejoinder from the " Member of 
Congress," but, in a few days, Reidheifer, model and all, left 
the city, never again to return.* 

* A notice of James Jackson, a member of the convention from 
Autauga, will be found near the close of this volume. 



434 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE FIRST LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF 
ALABAMA— GOVERNOR BIBB. 

chapter An election was held throughout the new State of Alabama, 
x n * for a governor and members of legislature, in anticipation of 

Summer of 

1819 the admission, by Congress, of the State, as a member of the 
American Union. William W. Bibb received eight thousand 
three hundred and forty-two votes for governor, and his oppo- 
nent, Marmaduke Williams, received seven thousand one 
hundred and forty. 

1819 

October The General Assembly of Alabama convened at Huntsville, 

on the fourth Monday in October. The House of Represen- 
tatives was composed of forty-five members, and James Dellet? 
of Monroe, was elected Speaker. The Senate had twenty-one 
members, and Thomas Bibb was elected President of that 
body. 

William W. Bibb was inaugurated, as the first governor 
of the State, before both houses of the legislature, in the 
presence of a large assemblage of citizens, to whom he made 
a handsome and appropriate address. He had, previously, 
presented an excellent message, in which he congratulated 



November 9 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



435 



the people upon the abundant crops which it had pleased the Al- chapter 
mighty to afford thern, the health which they had universally en- 
joyed, and the fortunate termination of the convention, which 
had resulted in the establishment of an excellent constitution. 
He brought to the attention of the legislature the subject of 
the liberal donations, by Congress, in reserving, for a seminary 
of learning, seventy-two sections of land — the sixteenth section 
in every township for the use of schools — five per cent, of the 
nett proceeds of the sales of the public lands, (sold after the 
first of September, 1819,) for purposes of internal improve- 
ments — and sixteen hundred and twenty acres of land, at the 
confluence of the Cahawba and Alabama rivers, for a seat of 
government. He reported that he had laid off the town of 
Cahawba, and that one hundred and eighty -two lots had been 
sold, for one hundred and twenty-three thousand eight hun- Nov *^, er & 
dred and fifty-six dollars — one-fourth of which, received in 
cash, had been deposited in the Planters' and Merchants' Bank 
of Huntsville, to be expended in the erection of a temporary 
State-house, which was then under contract. The message 
concluded by recommending a revision of the statutes, the 
organization of the judicial department, the election of judges, 
and the appointment by law of an engineer, to examine the 
rivers, who was to report in what manner their navigation 
might be improved. 

The legislature proceeded to elect two Senators of the 
United States. William R. King and John W. Walker were 
elected, upon the first ballot, over Thomas D. Crabb and 
George Philips. 

vol. ii. 23 



436 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter During the session of the legislature, General Jackson 
Session of v * s * te( ^ Hunts ville, with his horses, and was enthusiastically en- 
1819 gaged in the sports of the turf, then an amusement indulged 
in by the highest classes. Colonel Howell Rose, a Senator 
from the county of Autauga, was also at Huntsville. Colonel 
Rose was then a young man of indomitable energy and fear- 
less spirit, and possessed a native intellect of remarkable vigor 
and strength. He was ardent in his attachment to Jackson, 
and was the first to propose resolutions approbatory of his 
valuable services to the State, performed during the late 
Creek and Seminole wars. Colonel Rose introduced joint 
resolutions, of this character, together with one inviting the 
general to a seat within the bar both of the House and the 
Senate, on all occasions when it should be his pleasure to 
attend those bodies, which were adopted. Colonel Rose, at 
the head of a committee, waited upon Jackson, with a copy of 
the resolutions, to which the latter replied in a letter full of 
the liveliest gratitude. Since that interesting occasion Colonel 
Rose has, from time to time, performed valuable services to 
the State, as a member of the General Assembly. He is a 
wealthy citizen of the county of Coosa. His mind, naturally 
one of the richest in the country, and improved by self- 
instruction, is still vigorous and clear, while his agreeable 
eccentricity of manner, and original ideas and sayings, engage 
the attention of all who are thrown in his way. His collo- 
quial powers are of a very high as well as of a very peculiar 
order. He delivers his views with force and energy, and is 
never at a loss for a spicy repartee. While he was addressing 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 437 



the members of the legislature, he never failed to engage chapter 
their attention. Colonel Rose was born in North-Carolina, 
removed from thence to Georgia, and emigrated to Alabama, 
soon after the Creek war. 

So soon as the judicial circuits were organized, the legis- 
lature proceeded to elect officers. Henry Hitchcock, the former 
Territorial Secretary, was elected Attorney-General, over John 
S. N. Jones and D. Sullivan. Abner S. Lipscomb was elected 
Judge of the First Judicial Circuit, over Harry Toulmin ; 
Reuben Saffold, Judge of the second, without opposition ; 
Henry Y. Webb, Judge of the third, without opposition ; 
Richard Ellis, Judge of the fourth, over Beverly Hughes and 
John McKinley ; Clement C. Clay, Judge of the fifth, without 
opposition. 

John Gayle was elected Solicitor of the First Judicial Cir- 
cuit, without opposition ; Constantine Perkins, of the third, 
over Sion L. Perry ; Peter Martin, of the fourth, without op- 
position ; James Eastland, of the fifth, over James W. McClung 
and Poladore Naylor. 

The legislature was exceedingly anxious to see the laws en- 
forced ; and, for that purpose, selected magistrates from among 
the most respectable and prominent men throughout the State. 
They discharged the same duties which the Judges of the 
County Courts had done, previous to the adoption of the present 
Probate system, and as was the practice of Virginia. A few 
of those now selected must be mentioned, merely to show the 
determination of our then infant State, to give tone and dig- 
nity to the administration of the laws, even in inferior courts. 



438 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter For the county of Autauga, for instance, John A. Elmore, 
John Armstrong, Robert Gaston, James Jackson, and William 
R. Pickett, were elected magistrates. 

General John A. Elmore, one of these justices, was a native 
of South-Carolina, of the legislature of which State he had 
often been a respectable member. Not long after his removal 
to Alabama, he represented the county of Autauga in our 
legislature, which then sat at Cahawba. He was a man of 
firmness and much good sense, and always delivered his opin- 
ions, even in common conversation, in a distinct and loud 
voice, with that candor and honesty which characterized his 
conduct through life. He had a commanding appearance, 
was large in person, and, altogether, an exceedingly fine look- 
ing man. He delighted in the sports of the chase, being a 
most successful and spirited hunter, and an agreeable com- 
panion in the many camp-hunts in which he engaged with 
his neighbors and friends. Towards the close of his life, we 
remember that he presented a dignified and venerable ap- 
pearance, and we saw him preside as chairman of several large 
and exciting meetings, in the town of Montgomery, during 
the days of nullification. 

James Jackson, another of these magistrates, was born in 
the county of Wilkes, Georgia. He had been a man of in- 
fluence in that region. Upon his arrival, in 1818, in the 
Territory of Alabama, he immediately ranked with the leading 
men of the county of Autauga. He was elected a member 
of the State convention, and assisted to give us the excellent 
constitution we now have. Afterwards, Mr. Jackson was 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 439 

several times an active and influential member of the House chapter 
of Representatives, and of the Senate, of the State of Ala- 
bama. He died the 19th July, 1832, at his residence in 
Autauga, within a few miles of that of General Elmore, who 
also died about that period. Mr. Jackson was a man for 
whom nature had done much. Although raised upon the 
frontiers of Georgia, among a rude population, and thrown 
upon the world with but little means, and still less education, 
he was decidedly elegant in conversation, and polite and po- 
lished in his manners. He had the faculty of adapting him- 
self to all classes. In person, he was of medium size, his 
face was handsome and expressive, and, when meeting a 
friend, was generally enlivened with a smile. He was a most 
excellent and liberal neighbor. Smooth and fluent in conver- 
sation, and conciliating in his general views, he was a most 
delightful fireside companion. He was shrewd and sagacious, 
and a close and correct observer of human nature. 

The author, being the son of William R. Pickett, another 
of the Autauga magistrates, is relieved from the delicate task 
of portraying his character, by copying the following obi- 
tuary, written by a friend for the gazettes : 

" Colonel William Raiford Pickett died at his residence, in 
Autauga county, on the 20th September, 1850, aged seventy- 
three years. Colonel Pickett was born in Anson county, 
North-Carolina, upon the Pedee river, where his parents, 
James Pickett and Martha Terry, had removed sometime be- 
fore the revolutionary war, from their place of nativity, near 
Boiling Green, in Caroline county, Virginia. Their ances- 
23* 



440 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 



chapter tors, whose extraction was Scotch, English and French, were 
among the earliest colonists of Virginia. 

" Soon after he became of age, Colonel Pickett filled the 
post of sheriff of Anson county, and was afterwards elected 
to the legislature, which sat at Raleigh, where he served for 
several years. When the federal revenue was collected by 
direct taxation, he received from Mr. Madison, then President, 
the appointment of assessor and collector for a large district 
in North-Carolina, the arduous and responsible duties of which 
he discharged to the end, with zeal and fidelity. 

"In the spring of 1818, he brought his family out to this 
country, and established himself, as a planter and merchant, 
in the present Autauga county, which then formed a portion 
of the count)- of Montgomery. Two years before this early 
period, he had explored these south-western wilds, in company 
with his near relative and friend, Tod Robinson, encountering 
dangers and hardships incident upon the close of a san- 
guinary war with the Creeks. 

" When the legislature of Alabama sat at Cahawba, Colo- 
nel Pickett took his seat in that body, in 1821. In 1823, he 
was a member, and again, in 1824, which term closed his duties 
in the Lower House. In 1828, he was elected to the State 
Senate, and entered that body in the fall of that year, at 
Tuscaloosa, then the capitol of Alabama. He was a Senator 
for the period of five years, when, in the summer of 1834, 
he was beaten, for that position, by Colonel Broadnax, during 
an exceedingly high state of party excitement, the election 
turning solely upon party grounds, and many of his old 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 44^ 



friends voting- against him, with much reluctance. In his chapter 

1 • , • ! • i • n • , xliii. 

legislative career, he was an active and very influential mem- 
ber, and was the originator of many salutary laws, some of 
which are still in force. In the meantime, he was three times 
placed upon the democratic electoral ticket, for President and 
Vice-President, and, each time, received overwhelming ma- 
jorities. 

" He was a man of sterling honor and integrity, and, per- 
haps, no one ever surpassed him in disinterested benevolence 
and charity, for he not only supported the poor and destitute 
around him, but freely dispensed to those upon the highway. 
In person, he was large, erect and commanding, with a face 
beaming with intelligence, a forehead bold and lofty, and 
eyes brilliant and expressive, to the last moments of his exist- 
ence. He was peculiarly remarkable for his wit and origi- 
nality, and the risible faculties of more men have been aroused, 
while in his company, than in that of almost any other person. 
And even to this day, in North-Carolina, though thirty-two 
years have transpired since he left that State, his original say- 
ings and anecdotes are often repeated. No man ever received 
more attention, during his protracted illness, from those in his 
immediate neighborhood, who deeply mourn his departure 
from their midst. Persons from all parts of the country 
visited him in his affliction." 

The legislature of Alabama, during its session at Hunts- 
ville, enacted many salutary laws, and judiciously arranged 
the districts. Six new counties were established, and were 
added to those already organized. They were Greene, Jef- 



442 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter ferson, Perry, Henry, Wilcox and Butler. Wilcox was named 
in honor of the lieutenant, who, in 1814, was killed by the 

Session of J 

1819 Indians, upon the Alabama river, as we have seen, and Butler 
in memory of the captain, who was also killed by the Indians, 
near Fort Dale, on the 20th March, 1818. The legislature 
adjourned on the 17th December, 1819.* 

The land offices at Milledgeville and Huntsville were in 
1819-1820 active operation. Extensive surveys had been completed, 
sales had been everywhere proclaimed, and thousands of 
eager purchasers flocked into the country, from every Atlantic 
and Western State. Never, before or since, did the popula- 
tion of any State so rapidly increase as that of Alabama, from 
the period of 1820 until 1830. 

No sooner had the nourishing State of Alabama been 
thoroughly organized, than the citizens were called to mourn 
the death of their first governor. Riding in the forest one 
day, the horse of Governor Bibb fell with him to the ground, 
and he then received an injury, from which he never recov- 
ered. He died at his residence, in the county of Autauga, in 
July, 1820, in the fortieth year of his age — calm, collected, 
peaceful — surrounded by numerous friends and relations. 

Governor Bibb was five feet ten inches in height, with an 
erect but delicate frame. He was exceedingly easy and grace- 
ful in his bearing. His interesting face bore the marks of 
deep thought and great intelligence. His eyes, of a dark 
color, were mild, yet expressive. Whether thrown into the 

* State Archives. 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 443 

company of the rude or the refined, his language was pure chapter 
and chaste. No one ever lived, either in Georgia or Ala- 
bama, who was treated with a greater degree of respect by 
all classes. This was owing to his high moral character, un- 
surpassed honor, excellent judgment, and a very high order 
of talents. Entirely free from that dogmatism and those 
patronizing airs, which characterize many of our distinguished 
men, he invariably treated the opinions of the humblest citi- 
zen with courtesy and respect. He was, however, a man of 
firmness, swaying the minds of men w T ith great success, and 
governing by seeming to obey. 

In all the stations which he filled, Governor Bibb was emi- 
nently successful. When quite a young man, his skill and 
attention as a physician, in the then flourishing town of Pe- 
tersburg, Georgia, secured for him an extensive practice. He 
next went into the legislature from Elbert county, and, serv- 
ing four years in that body, acquired a popularity rarely at- 
tained by one of his age. At the' early age of twenty-five, 
he was elected to Congress under the General Ticket System, 
by a vote so large as to leave no doubt but that he was a 
great favorite with the people. He immediately became a 
leading member of the Lower House of the National Legis- 
lature — was an able and fearless advocate of the war of 1812, 
and a conscientious supporter of the administration of Madi- 
son. His contemporaries, at his first election, were Boiling 
Hall, George M. Troup and Howell Cobb. He had not been 
long in Congress before his popularity caused him to come 
within a few votes of being elected to the office of Speaker of 



444 THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA. 

chapter the House. Afterwards, the legislature of Georgia elected 
him to the Senate of the United States. He was thus a 
member of Congress from 1806 until 1816, when, as we have 
seen in the preceding pages, he was appointed by the Presi- 
dent Governor of Alabama Territory, and was afterwards 
elected by the people Governor of the State of Alabama. 
In reference to his Congressional career, we have often heard, 
from the lips of many of his distinguished contemporaries, 
that the practical order of his mind, the wisdom of his views, 
and the peculiar music of his voice, contributed to render him 
one of the most attractive and effective of speakers. 

When Governor Bibb first established himself as a phy- 
sician, he married Mary, only • daughter of Colonel Holman 
Freeman, of revolutionary memory, and then a citizen of 
Wilkes county. She was one of the most beautiful and ac- 
complished ladies of her day, and has ever been esteemed 
and admired by the early inhabitants of Alabama. She 
is now residing in the* county of Dallas, in the enjoy- 
ment of fine health. Governor Bibb left two children, by 
this lady — a son and a daughter. The latter, the late Mrs. 
Alfred V. Scott,- who died some years ago, was much like her 
father, in the mildness of her disposition, the grace and ease 
of her manners, and the intellectual beauty of her face. 

After the death of Governor Bibb, his brother, Thomas 
Bibb, who was President of the Senate, became the acting 
governor. He was a man of strong mind and indomitable 
energy. 

In the preceding pages we have alluded to the mother of 



THE AMERICANS IN ALABAMA 



445 



Governor Bibb. She was one of the most remarkable women chapter 
we ever knew, for energy, decision, and superior sense. When 
Captain Bibb, her husband, died, he left her with eight child- 
ren, and an estate much embarrassed by debt. Benajah, the 
ninth child, was born a few months after the death of his 
father. Mrs. Bibb worked the estate out of debt — educated 
her children, and lived to see them all in affluence, and 
many of them enjoying offices of honor and profit. She 
was known to the early inhabitants of Alabama, by whom 
she was much esteemed, as Mrs. Barnett, having married a 
gentleman of that name. Thomas Bibb resembled his moth- 
er more than any of the children, in the native strength of 
his mind and the energy of his character. The memory of 
Governor William Wyatt Bibb is preserved in the name of 
a county in Georgia, and one in Alabama. 

But here we lay down our pen. The early history of Ala- 
bama, as far as it rests in our hands, is euded, and our task 
is accomplished. To some other person, fonder than we are of 
the dry details of State legislation and fierce party spirit, we 
leave the task of bringing the history down to a later period. 



THE END. 



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